'I feel betrayed by DWP cuts to PIP - thinking about them gets my heart racing'

A law student with bipolar has said she feels “betrayed” by Labour after it announced cuts to disability benefits.

Natasha Muzembe, 29, who lives in west London, said she doesn’t know how she will “survive” if her £739 monthly Personal Independence Payments are cut.

“It'll put me in poverty. I'm scared. Thinking about it gets my heart racing. It's going to be a really tough time if they do that,” she said.

Natasha said she uses her PIP to pay for taxi services, when she can’t take the bus due to psychosis making her feel as though everyone is looking at her, as well as for cleaning services and medication delivery.

She said she was “very, very, very surprised” when Labour announced its welfare reforms and said it was “disgusting” for ministers to “target the most vulnerable people in society”.

“I felt betrayal and anger because this is a party that promised to be ‘for people,’” she added. If you're ‘for people’, how can you go against them in the most harmful and attacking way?

“People voted for them because they were frustrated with the way the country was going. People were in poverty. Children weren't getting meals. You get nurses going to food banks, and people voted for them in the hopes that they were going to transform the country."

Natasha said it was "reassuring" there was such a big rebellion within Labour against the welfare cuts. In a message to Keir Starmer, she added: “Don't go back on the people that voted for you in the first place, who need help, that voted for you on the grounds that you were going to support and make them better.

“A healthy mind nurtures a healthy nation. Let's get people feeling better before they're forced to get into work and jobs they cannot sustain.”