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  • 7/1/2025
A disabled woman who uses a wheelchair has issued a plea to Chancellor Rachel Reeves to "do something to help" as MPs prepare to vote on controversial benefits reforms today.Anastasia Tempest, who has cerebral palsy and receives Personal Independence Payments and Disability Benefits, expressed deep frustration about the Government's benefits reform bill during a conversation with GB News."I feel very ambivalent at the moment. I've been listening to what everybody's been saying, I've been listening to the Prime Minister. I'm glad about the U-turn, but it's just very difficult," she said.Tempest, who lives in Rachel Reeves' constituency, believes the Chancellor could make a difference.READ THE FULL STORY HERE
Transcript
00:00Tempest. Anastasia uses a wheelchair, she's got cerebral palsy and she is entitled to the personal
00:07independent payments and disability benefits. Anastasia, how are you feeling about this welfare
00:12reform, Bill? Well, hello Anna. I feel very ambivalent at the moment. I've been listening
00:18to what everybody's been saying. I've been listening to the Prime Minister. I'm glad
00:23about the U-turn and it's just very difficult because you get some people who have, you
00:29know, like myself who are very, very severely disabled. Then you get other people who are
00:35alcoholics and that's self-imposed and I don't feel very sympathetic over that. And I've even
00:40heard, and this isn't very nice, people who've got acne problems and people with weight problems
00:47that can be solved. So there is this division between people who are, who have been born
00:53with a disability or who acquire a disability, say through an accident. And then we've got
01:00the MPs that sometimes infuriate me. I sometimes wonder why I'm interested in politics. I mean,
01:09Rachel Reeves is a nice person. I spoke to her on Zoom on one occasion. I've never actually
01:15met her, but I think she could actually do something. I mean, she's the Chancellor of
01:22the Exchequer and it's frustrating and it's doubly frustrating for me at the moment because
01:30I'm actually housebound. And in fact, I was invited to a meeting going to see Stephen Timms
01:40and I can't even attend, but I would love to attend because then I can make a contribution
01:45in some way. But it's, you know, it's deeply frustrating. Nobody wants to have a disability.
01:52Yeah.
01:53Thank you for sharing with us this morning.

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