Alison Bennett's Monday Mail: Welfare: animal and human
Puppies and Kittens
I am really proud of my colleague, the Liberal Democrat MP for Winchester, Danny Chambers. Back in October, I was one of 11 sponsors of an animal welfare bill that Danny introduced. It will prevent the importation of puppies, kittens and ferrets, and also prevent animals with cropped ears from being imported. The Government accepted Danny’s Private Members’ Bill, and it completed its passage through the House of Commons on Friday. Once it has gone through the Lords, it will become the law.
This interview on GB News with Danny explains more, plus Bruce the Jack Russell is very good and rather adorable. It is not the only win the Liberal Democrats have had this year, as set out here.
On a sixpence
On Tuesday I spoke in the debate on the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill. The way that the government handled their proposed Welfare Reforms has been shambolic. From the publication of the proposed changes in March through to last Tuesday’s climbdown, it has been clear from the emails and conversations I have had with disabled people in Mid Sussex, that the proposals were unworkable, unfair and likely to cause a great deal of financial distress.
Personal Independence Payment is not an out of work benefit. It exists to help meet the additional costs that disability brings. I tried to capture this in my speech in the debate on Tuesday thanks to the example of just one constituent Sarah. As Sarah told me, she had no idea that she would end up in a wheelchair. For any and all of us, life can turn on a sixpence, and we need to have a benefits system that is fit for purpose, that enables and encourages those who are able to work, to work, and enables those who cannot work to live in dignity.
The government’s decision not to press ahead at least for now with their original proposals is very welcome, but it should never have come down to an eleventh hour climb down. This is hugely damaging for the Starmer administration, and poses grave questions about the Autumn budget.
A year in
Last week marked a year since the general election. What a year it’s been, and what a privilege too. This video captures a few of the highlights. Thank you everyone who has helped me along the way.
A longer read
It is of course also a year since Keir Starmer’s Labour Party formed a new government. Much has been written and said about how they have got on. For what it is worth, I thought that Lewis Goodall’s substack provides a detailed and cogent deep dive: Where Labour has gone wrong and what to do about it.
Getting in touch
My parliamentary email address is: alison.bennett.mp@parliament.uk. If you need my help, please get in touch.
Best wishes,
Alison
PS: If you’ve enjoyed this week’s Monday Mail, please spread the word and tell your friends by forwarding it to them. Anyone can sign up here.