Commenting on government plans to reduce the welfare bill by £5billion, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“It is hard to conceive of a Labour government treating the most vulnerable members of society any worse. For pensioners who have lost the winter fuel allowance, parents coping with the two-child benefit cap, and now the targeting of disabled adults, cruelty is becoming a hallmark of this government. It is simply indefensible.
“Cutting welfare benefits will plunge hundreds of thousands of people into poverty and desperation. It will also reduce employment prospects. PIP payments enable many disabled teachers to remain in work. Amidst a teacher recruitment and retention crisis, the government should be doing everything it can to keep, not lose, experienced staff.
“Fifty per cent of children with a disabled parent live in poverty. Taking away from disabled adults pushes their children deeper into poverty. And, more than any other factor, poverty impairs the life chances of children. Eighty-four per cent of NEU members have told us they often see children fatigued due to the impact of living in poverty. (1) It is now commonplace to find food banks in schools and teachers feeding children from their own pockets. This already dreadful situation will now only become worse.”