Harrow East Tory MP Bob Blackman voted for the cut as the House of Lords has been unable to stop a planned £30-a-week cut to disability benefits forced through by Government MPs.
The cut will see people receiving Employment and Support Allowance go from claiming £103-a-week to £73-a-week, and will affect people who are deemed currently unable to work but are capable of trying to find employment.
More than half a million disabled people could lose out as a result of further changes over the next four years to welfare payments as the formula the government uses to calculate the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) for disabled people will change – BBC reports.
The public protests warn that the “cumulative effects” of cuts to both benefits and social care is eroding the capacity for some disabled people to live independently.
Bob Blackman has previously generally voted against laws to promote equality and human rights, and has voted to repeal the Human Rights Act 1998.
While he voted for pinching money from the vulnerable, Bob Blackman’s claim for expenses have been highly controversial.
His last year’s expenses £172,353.95, included £142,486.90 on staffing of which £35,000-£40,000 was the salary for his wife, his office manager of unknown formal qualification for the post. The other £25,885.20 included is for renting office space at the Harrow East Conservative Association office – the same HECA then financially supports the constituency’s political activities from the income.
An investigation by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) found that the Harrow East MP submitted more than 700 “inaccurate” claims, amounting to more than £1000.