Campaigner denounces Swansea MP Torsten Bell over disability cuts that ‘will cause misery for many thousands’

Martin Shipton

A disability campaigner has released an open letter in which he denounces Swansea West Labour MP and UK Government Minister Torsten Bell for supporting benefit cuts and refusing to meet a delegation of activists.

In the letter Ben Golightly, of Swansea Disabled People Against Cuts, quotes a number of organisations that oppose the cuts affecting disabled people, including the Resolution Foundation, of which Mr Bell was chief executive until being elected to Westminster last year.

Mr Bell claims Mr Golightly’s statements about him are entirely untrue.

‘Serious answers’

Mr Golightly states in the open letter: “I believe that your recent activity and contradictory statements mean that you owe some serious answers to the public, to members of Swansea Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC), and to your party.

“In your last communication to myself and (DPAC by email on Monday June 2 at 17:05, you again reiterated, as your office has consistently done, that you would only, and could only, meet us as constituents, and not as a campaigning group of disabled people from across Swansea as we have requested, and as you were instructed in an open letter signed by more than 250 individuals and organisations, including a national Labour-affiliated trade union.

“You also repeated your excuse that you will also not debate with us while there is a public consultation on the disability cuts in process, despite our serious concerns with that consultation process.

“We are also aware that two minutes prior to emailing us, at exactly 17:03, you reached out to another disability group offering to meet them to discuss exactly the issue of welfare reforms, on terms that two minutes later you said you could not offer us. You never insisted that they be constituents. That was always a nonsense excuse: you can meet with any campaign group you wish.

“If you merely don’t like us, and want to meet with them instead, that’s your choice. But that’s not the excuse you gave us, or the 45 Swansea Labour councillors, or four Labour members of the Senedd, copied into your email to us. It is not the excuse that has now been seen by more than 100 journalists (as I informed you would be the case).

“Given your opposite statements at 17:03 and 17:05, merely two minutes apart, would you care to explain your mental gymnastics?

“Is it not completely suspect that, out of nowhere, you finally reached out to this other disability group on the same day that we publicly highlighted your failure to engage in front of the press and your party?

“We have never used the sort of language that you have used regularly against critics: ‘memes of the keyboard warriors’ (on the day of the Spring Statement when 100 disabled people attended our protest in Swansea); ‘burden’ (in the context of carers); ‘cheap’ and “lazy’(when talking to pensions economists), and most recently ‘garbage meme muppets’.

“When we complained about the use of the word ‘burden’ (and other words), under press attention you deleted the post, called us liars, and tried to have the claims retracted in the press. We robustly defended our claims and they remain published.

“The language you use is your business and the public can judge. You are entitled to argue about the context. But when you do, you are not entitled to delete the context and call people liars.

“Despite your attempts to muddy the water by telling everyone how open you are to meetings with our members who are constituents (we have never asked for this, and you know that), we have been at pains to clarify exactly the issue at hand: you will not meet us as a group, and you will not face us in a public debate.

“There is no point in meeting you as constituents. You have nailed your colours to the mast and defended the cuts on Newsnight. We want an equal right of reply to the dodgy talking points from yourself, and other ministers (eg Rachel Reeves comparing disability benefits to ‘children’s pocket money’, Liz Kendell’s ‘taking the mickey’).

“You have since repeated your claims that we have lied. Given your repeated accusations of dishonesty, there is no way we can possibly meet you behind closed doors without a journalist present, so that the press and the public can judge for themselves.

“We have always wanted to debate and defeat your policies, not have a personalised spat or an exchange of insults over social media. That is why we repeatedly asked you for a fair and respectful public debate.

“Given the circumstances, however, and given the language you are always the first one to use, I think we have earned the right to ask, Mr. Bell:

Were you genuinely reaching out to another disability group at the same time as refusing to meet with us, or were you merely seeking to use them to cover for your lack of engagement, and feeling pressured by disabled people campaigning against your policies?

Do you spend too much time on social media looking at memes and insulting people instead of listening?

Are you a bully?

Are you a liar?

Will you finally apologise for your language and behaviour and retract your multiple, repeated, false public claims that Swansea DPAC has ever lied?

Will you finally defend your policies, like a grown up, in a fair and respectful public debate with Disabled People Against Cuts?

“This sorry business could all have been avoided if you had simply met with us, as requested, so that we could hash out our differences, and if you had taken one of the many opportunities to simply apologise and retract your statements. Obviously, you will never agree to debate your policies with us, because the disability cuts that you defend are, in fact, indefensible.

“I look forward to your reply, public apology and retraction.”

Benefit cuts

Mr Golightly goes on to quote statements made by many organisations that oppose the proposed benefit cuts for disabled people, which they believe will cause misery for many thousands.

“Carers UK call the proposals their ‘worst fears’, an ‘unprecedented step in the wrong direction’, ‘shocking and shameful’.

“Disability Wales call your proposals ‘cruel’ and ‘unjust’ and say they will ‘threaten the financial security and basic human rights of disabled people across the country’.

“The Resolution Foundation calls the proposals ‘a short-term savings exercise, rather than a long-term reform’. The New Economic Foundation says that the proposals are ‘driven by the Chancellor’s self-imposed fiscal rules rather than a focus on supporting ill and disabled people’, ‘will not help people to return to work’, are ‘simply not true’ and an ‘economic fantasy.. It says that ‘Rachel Reeves’ Spring Statement is ‘built on shaky foundations”.

Many trade unions have also criticised the planned cuts.

Mr Golightly’s final message to Mr Bell is simply: “Please do the decent thing.”

‘Untrue’

We asked Mr Bell to respond. He sent us a statement that said: “The short answer is that this is one individual who is not a constituent and who, I’m afraid, has repeatedly said things that are entirely untrue.

“This is an important topic, and campaigning is an important part of democracy. But misleading people is not.

“The facts are that I have seen every constituent who has asked to meet on this subject, as well as meeting with carers and with Disability Wales (which is in part funded by the Welsh Government). I have offered repeatedly to meet with any DPAC members who are constituents, individually or in a group (exactly as the neighbouring MP for Gower did). This offer has not been taken up.”