On the morning of the Thursday 27 February at 9.30am WOWpetition (the initiative of disabled and sick people calling for a cumulative impact assessment of welfare reform on the most vulnerable) will be holding a breakfast lobby in the Jubilee Room of the Houses of Parliament in Westminster – ahead of a debate in the Commons Chamber due for 11.30am.
On the morning of the Thursday 27 February at 9.30am WOWpetition (the initiative of disabled and sick people calling for a cumulative impact assessment of welfare reform on the most vulnerable) will be holding a breakfast lobby in the Jubilee Room of the Houses of Parliament in Westminster – ahead of a debate in the Commons Chamber due for 11.30am.
There they will be joined by a range of supporters, including comedian and actress Francesca Martinez, who has cerebral palsy, the Very Rev David Ison, Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral, and representatives from other grassroots disabled peoples’ organisations, charities and NGOs.
The aim of the lobby is to encourage MPs to attend the debate and to vote in favour of the motion supporting the aims of the petition.
The petition that triggered the debate was signed online by over 104,000 people through the government’s e-petition website.
Disabled people will lose £28.3 billion worth of support by 2018 as a result of changes and reductions brought in by the coalition government. Thousands of disabled people are being hit simultaneously by up to six different welfare cuts. Up to 3.7 million sick and disabled people are affected overall. Yet the government has not attempted an overall assessment of the damaging impact this is having on their lives and has closed its ears to alternative perspectives and policies.
The debate itself can be watched live on Freesat Channel 201, Virgin Channel 605, Sky Channel 504, on your computer at http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Home.aspx or the BBC Parliament Channel.
For further details about the lobby, contact Ian Jones of WOWpetition on 07525 005744 (ian8jonesATgmail.com).
* A full briefing on the lobby and debate is available here: http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/files/wow_debate.pdf
* WOW (War on Welfare) Petition Campaign: http://wowpetition.com
* More from Ekklesia on the WOW initiative: http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/WOWpetition