Labour

Labour has launched its manifesto with and for disabled people.

The manifesto was produced following Labour’s Disability Equality Roadshow, involving extensive consultation with disabled people and their carers across the country.

Over the last seven years, disabled people – including people with physical or mental impairments and long-term health conditions – have borne the brunt of the Conservatives cuts, which has seen the number of disabled people living in poverty rise to 4.2 million.

Labour will reverse the cuts to disability support, transform our social security system from one that demonises disabled people to one that is supportive and enabling, scrap the punitive sanctions regime and replace ineffective, degrading assessments. The manifesto sets out Labour’s plan to tackle the barriers facing disabled people and to build a society in which everyone has the same opportunities and choices.

Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Labour Party, said:

“Last night at the BBC Question Time Leaders’ Special, an audience member gave a harrowing account of her traumatic and degrading experience undergoing the Work Capability Assessment. Like many others, I was incredibly moved by the film I, Daniel Blake, which tells the story of those who have been demonised and dehumanised by the Conservative’s devastating cuts and a social security system which punishes, rather than supports, disabled people.

“Labour will ensure that disabled people and people with mental health conditions have access to the support they need and will work with disabled people to build an inclusive society, where no one is held back from fulfilling their potential and realising their aspirations.”

Launching the manifesto in Manchester today, Debbie Abrahams, Labour’s Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, said:

“We are proud of the manifesto that we have developed with, and for, disabled people. For seven long years, disabled people have borne the brunt of the Conservatives’ austerity cuts and been pushed further into poverty. Our comprehensive and costed policies set out in this manifesto, will ensure that disabled people are properly supported to live full and independent lives.

“Enough is enough, only a Labour government, offering a real alternative, will work in partnership with disabled people to ensure no one in our society is held back.”

Notes to editors:

Please find a link to our disability manifesto here: http://www.labour.org.uk/page/-/manifesto-for-disabled-people.PDF

The Conservatives election campaign is in chaos as the extent of their millionaire-backing is revealed, Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn says today.

In the latest in a string of errors and about-turns, Defence Secretary, Michael Fallon’s pledge that people would pay no more tax under the Tories was immediately contradicted by Theresa May, who refused to rule out a tax hike on working people, through rises in income tax or higher National Insurance contributions.

The Tories were already reeling from the chaos and confusion over their plans for social care and where they would set the cap they originally said they had rejected, and were forced to withdraw their school breakfasts policy after it was exposed they had only set aside 6.8p per meal.

The threat of further Tory tax rises on working people comes as it was revealed just 49 individuals have donated more than a third of all Tory party funding since Theresa May became Prime Minister.

In contrast, Labour’s manifesto clearly commits to no income tax, National Insurance or VAT rises for 95 per cent of taxpayers, with big businesses and those paid more than £80,000 a year asked to pay a bit more to reverse years of underinvestment in our NHS, schools and other public services.

Jeremy Corbyn, Labour Leader, said:

“First social care and school breakfasts, now the Tories are in chaos over their tax plans for the super-rich, as it is revealed they are entirely dependent on them for their funding. While Michael Fallon claims there will be no tax rises, Theresa May refuses to rule them out. You can’t trust a word the Tories say.

“Labour is the low tax party for the many while the Conservatives are the low tax party for the few. We won’t raise taxes for 95 per cent of taxpayers but will ask high earners and big businesses to pay a little more so we can give nurses and other public servants a pay rise, and invest in the public services we all rely on.”

Andrew Gwynne, Labour’s Joint National Campaign Co-ordinator, said:

“The Tories are bankrolled by millionaire bankers, tycoons and hedge fund bosses – the very people they’ve given tax breaks to while everyone else pays more. In contrast, Labour is funded by thousands and thousands of people making small donations because they want a better society for everyone.

“Labour’s plans are fully costed and fully set out in our manifesto for everyone to see. The only numbers in the Tory manifesto are the page numbers. The wheels are coming of the Conservatives’ election campaign, with Theresa May hiding from the public, refusing to debate Jeremy Corbyn, and backsliding on social care, NHS and schools funding, and now their tax plans.”

Labour is calling on the Tories to come clean on how many pensioners will be hit by their plans for a dementia tax and means testing for Winter Fuel Payments.

With six days to go until voting, Theresa May has still not ended the uncertainty facing millions of pensioners.

Tory plans to scrap universal Winter Fuel Payments could hit as many as 10.8 million pensioners, according to a Labour analysis of Pension Credit data.

Meanwhile, the Tories are still refusing to give a figure for the cap they will put on their dementia tax, the name given to their plan to force people to pay for social care with their homes.

An analysis by the Labour Party shows the effect of the Tory dementia tax on older people living in a house worth the average UK price of £217,500 if the cap is set at £72,000 or £100,000 and they find they need home care at the capped level.

At a cap of £100,000, a person in this situation needing the capped amount of care would lose 42 percent of the value of their estate. The more someone’s house is worth, the lower the percentage they would lose.

Labour has set out its pledges to older people – maintaining the triple-lock on state pensions to protect incomes, investing £37 billion into the NHS and £8 billion into social care over the next parliament and protecting Winter Fuel Payments and free bus passes.

Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party, commenting on this analysis, said:

“It is staggering that just six days from polling day millions of pensioners still don’t know what’s in store for them if they are unlucky enough to get dementia or any other condition that needs care in the home.

“The dementia tax is itself unfair but what’s made matters even worse is the way Theresa May announced a cap and then failed to say how much it would be.

“Alongside this, older people face the additional uncertainty of not knowing who will be eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment. The introduction of a means test could mean more than ten million people losing the payment.

“Theresa May’s only offer to pensioners is insecurity and cuts. Labour will stand up for older people by maintaining the triple-lock on state pensions, investing £8 billion into social care over the next parliament and protecting winter fuel payments and free bus passes.”

John McDonnell, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor, responding to Michael Fallon’s claim to protect a wealthy few from income tax changes, while not ruling out tax hikes for low and middle earners, said:

“The mask has finally slipped. The only guarantee the Tories are prepared to give at this election is to big business and high earners. While low and middle income earners have seen no guarantee from Theresa May that their taxes won’t be raised. And pensioners are left to worry about whether they will be able to heat their homes or even keep their homes, with no clarity on cuts to winter fuel payments or the dementia tax.

“This confirms that the Tories truly are the party for the few not the many. As only Labour can guarantee no rises in NICs or VAT, while 95 per cent of income taxpayers will be protected from tax hikes in the next parliament.”

Labour is calling on the Tories to come clean on how many pensioners will be hit by their plans for a dementia tax and means testing for Winter Fuel Payments.

With six days to go until voting, Theresa May has still not ended the uncertainty facing millions of pensioners.

Tory plans to scrap universal Winter Fuel Payments could hit as many as 10.8 million pensioners, according to a Labour analysis of Pension Credit data.

Meanwhile, the Tories are still refusing to give a figure for the cap they will put on their dementia tax, the name given to their plan to force people to pay for social care with their homes.

An analysis by the Labour Party (see below) shows the effect of the Tory dementia tax on older people living in a house worth the average UK price of £217,500 if the cap is set at £72,000 or £100,000 and they find they need home care at the capped level.

At a cap of £100,000, a person in this situation needing the capped amount of care would lose 42 percent of the value of their estate. The more someone’s house is worth, the lower the percentage they would lose.

Labour has set out its pledges to older people – maintaining the triple-lock on state pensions to protect incomes, investing £37 billion into the NHS and £8 billion into social care over the next parliament and protecting Winter Fuel Payments and free bus passes.

Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party, commenting on this analysis, said:

“It is staggering that just six days from polling day millions of pensioners still don’t know what’s in store for them if they are unlucky enough to get dementia or any other condition that needs care in the home.

“The dementia tax is itself unfair but what’s made matters even worse is the way Theresa May announced a cap and then failed to say how much it would be.

“Alongside this, older people face the additional uncertainty of not knowing who will be eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment. The introduction of a means test could mean more than ten million people losing the payment.

“Theresa May’s Tories only offer to pensioners is insecurity and cuts. Labour will stand up for older people by maintaining the triple-lock on state pensions, investing £8 billion into social care over the next parliament and protecting winter fuel payments and free bus passes.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

Winter Fuel Payments

The Conservative manifesto also includes a commitment to means test the Winter Fuel Payment which, if linked to Pension Credit, could remove the support to heat homes from ten million pensioners. But analysis by the Labour Party has found that even this could be an underestimate, as 40 percent of those eligible do not claim Pension Credit. This would leave a further 800,000 older people without support to heat their homes, bringing the total number losing out to 10,800,000.  

Resolution Foundation analysis of Conservative plans to means test the Winter Fuel Payment: http://www.resolutionfoundation.org/media/blog/death-taxes-the-conservative-manifesto-and-the-changing-politics-of-intergenerational-fairness/

DWP estimates of benefit take up, showing 40 percent of those eligible for Pension Credit do not claim: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/535362/ir-benefits-take-up-main-report-2014-15.pdf

Dementia Tax
A 75 year-old owner occupier with savings of £20,000, whose home is worth the UK average house price of £217,500 facing home care costs of £100,000.
Under the current system:   subject to income, would pay nothing towards their care costs
At a cap of £72,000:             would pay £72,000 – would use all their savings and have a 24 percent charge (£52,000) set against the value of their home
At a cap of £100,000:           would pay £100,000, the full cost of care

AVERAGE CARE COSTS: Analysis for the Dilnot Commission in 2010 found that 45 percent of 65 year olds could expect to spend (or have spent on them) more than £25,000 on care services, and 10 percent could expect to spend more than £100,000. Source: Dilnot Commission Report Vol 2: Evidence and Analysis http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130221130239/https://www.wp.dh.gov.uk/carecommission/files/2011/07/Volume-II-Evidence-and-Analysis1.pdf

AVERAGE WEALTH OF OLDER PEOPLE: 34 percent of older people aged 70-79 have non-housing assets below £23,250 but assets including houses above £100,000. Source: IFS, based on English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, wave 7 https://www.ifs.org.uk/publications/9243

HOUSE PRICES: Average House Price (Feb 2017) in the UK is £217,502 Source: Land Registry http://landregistry.data.gov.uk/app/ukhpi