Thank you to everyone who wrote to me about reforming the welfare system ahead of the recent vote in parliament.

Since these reforms were first announced I have received a huge number of emails from constituents sharing their concerns about the impact they might have on vulnerable people – including from people in receipt of benefits like Personal Independence Payments (PIP) who feared they would be personally impacted.

I have been deeply moved – and in some cases troubled – by the stories I have been told about a welfare system that already isn’t working for people, but which continues to provide a lifeline for so many in our community, including disabled people. I have shared many of your concerns directly with ministers and know that your voices have made a real difference in persuading the government to change course.

I stood to be the MP for East Thanet because I believe strongly that coastal communities like ours have been let down by fourteen years of Conservative government, which has left a legacy of ill health, insecure work, and an economy that simply isn’t working for people. This debate over welfare has brought the problems our community are facing into sharp relief, and only served to underscore that deep reform is needed so that we can build an economy that delivers good jobs for people who are able to work and a welfare system that supports those who need it.

I do not underestimate the financial pressures on our welfare system. Under the Conservatives, spending on working-age benefits reached £48.5 billion and is forecast to rise to £75.7 billion by 2030 — almost twice the defence budget. We do need to bring those costs under control. But that has to be done in the right way; by supporting people to find work and tackling the underlying reasons why they are out of work in the first place.

Those who have written to me before will know that there are many aspects of what the government is proposing that I welcome: increasing the basic rate of Universal Credit; £1 billion in additional support to get people with disabilities and long-term conditions back into work; improvements to the Access to Work scheme that funds reasonable adjustments for disabled people in the workplace; and a new ‘Right to Try’ guarantee that means people with disabilities can try out a new job without risking losing their benefits if it doesn’t work out.

But I have been really concerned by other proposals, particularly the plan to restrict eligibility to claim PIP. PIP is provided to people with long-term health conditions or disabilities – whether or not they are in work – which are intended to cover the additional costs associated with managing a disability. Changes to the eligibility criteria for PIP could have meant some people who need help with tasks like washing their hair, washing their body below the waist, or cooking food would lose access to PIP, with some potentially facing significant hardship as a result. It is difficult to see how those cuts aligned with the underlying principles of supporting people back into work and protecting the most vulnerable.

Since first becoming aware the government was planning to make cuts to PIP, I have worked hard to convince ministers to reconsider, including by questioning the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in the House of Commons, which you can watch by clicking here.

Last week, you may have seen that I signed a ‘reasoned amendment’ that made clear ministers needed to think again, and which was signed by more than 100 Labour MPs. Opposing my own party so publicly was not a decision I took lightly, but I wanted to be sure that ministers knew that I was serious when I said that I could not support these plans if changes were not made.

After this, I worked hard to negotiate changes to the bill to ensure it does not prove counterproductive to the government’s aims of ensuring those who can work are working, while protecting the most vulnerable. I am pleased the government listened to our concerns and agreed to a series of compromises.

• Changes to PIP will be shelved until a government review is carried out, with a new system co-produced with people with disabilities.
• The government will no longer be freezing the health element of Universal Credit, which would have cost claimants about £250 a year by the end of this parliament, and it will instead rise with inflation.
• The £1 billion budget for helping people into work will be increased, and the spending will be brought forward to this year, ensuring the additional support is available immediately.

These are all important changes that I have worked hard to secure, and I know will be of huge relief to many people in East Thanet. I am particularly pleased that the government will now involve disabled people in the co-production of a new disability benefit system, to ensure their voices are heard. You can listen to a clip of me talking to LBC Radio about the concessions we secured earlier this week by clicking here.

The changes I have helped secure represent important progress as the government begins to tackle the root causes of ill health and unemployment. So please rest assured that I will always speak up for the residents of East Thanet and will continue to champion reform of the system that is fair, compassionate, and shaped by the voices of those most affected.