THE CHAIRS WERE EMPTY. THE ISSUE REMAINS.
“When MPs choose empty chairs over constituents, we choose persistence” – Difference North East
Today, 18 North East MPs missed a crucial chance to hear from disabled constituents about welfare cuts.
These MPs skipped our meeting and have so far refuse to oppose PIP cuts. What their absence means:
✖️ No answers about £250M in cuts
✖️ No commitment to protect vulnerable people
✖️ No dialogue with those most affected
@differencenortheast THE CHAIRS WERE EMPTY. THE ISSUE REMAINS. "When MPs choose empty chairs over constituents, we choose persistence" – Difference North East Today, 18 North East MPs missed a crucial chance to hear from disabled constituents about welfare cuts. These MPs skipped our meeting and have so far refuse to oppose PIP cuts. What their absence means: ✖️ No answers about £250M in cuts ✖️ No commitment to protect vulnerable people ✖️ No dialogue with those most affected https://differencenortheast.org.uk/mps-ignore-disabled-constituents/
♬ original sound – Difference North East
| Rank | Constituency | MP | Loss Per Person | Total Loss | Disabled People | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Houghton and Sunderland South | Bridget Phillipson (Labour) | £350.29 | £21,632,812 | 24,043 | bridget.phillipson.mp@parliament.uk |
| 14 | Washington and Gateshead South | Sharon Hodgson (Labour) | £325.42 | £18,649,688 | 22,022 | sharon.hodgson.mp@parliament.uk |
| 19 | Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor | Alan Strickland (Labour) | £310.55 | £18,151,946 | 21,953 | alan.strickland.mp@parliament.uk |
| 20 | Redcar | Anna Turley (Labour) | £307.67 | £17,103,294 | 21,064 | anna.turley.mp@parliament.uk |
| 28 | Sunderland Central | Lewis Atkinson (Labour) | £297.40 | £18,704,326 | 22,451 | lewis.atkinson.mp@parliament.uk |
| 29 | North Durham | Luke Akehurst (Labour) | £297.31 | £17,236,020 | 21,787 | luke.akehurst.mp@parliament.uk |
| 35 | Stockton North | Chris McDonald (Labour) | £291.99 | £18,361,666 | 22,097 | chris.mcdonald.mp@parliament.uk |
| 82 | Blaydon and Consett | Liz Twist (Labour) | £250.00 | £13,996,126 | 19,530 | liz.twist.mp@parliament.uk |
| 88 | Gateshead Central and Whickham | Mark Ferguson (Labour) | £246.92 | £15,480,191 | 20,531 | mark.ferguson.mp@parliament.uk |
| 111 | Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West | Chi Onwurah (Labour) | £231.46 | £20,947,256 | 25,353 | chi.onwurah.mp@parliament.uk |
| 113 | Darlington | Lola McEvoy (Labour) | £230.77 | £13,994,043 | 19,391 | lola.mcevoy.mp@parliament.uk |
| 129 | Cramlington and Killingworth | Emma Foody (Labour) | £220.96 | £13,246,998 | 19,151 | emma.foody.mp@parliament.uk |
| 170 | North Northumberland | David Smith (Labour) | £199.96 | £10,410,350 | 19,284 | david.smith.mp@parliament.uk |
| 178 | Tynemouth | Alan Campbell (Labour) | £197.42 | £11,302,657 | 18,529 | alan.campbell.mp@parliament.uk |
| 295 | Hexham | Joe Morris (Labour) | £158.49 | £845,968 | 16,860 | joe.morris.mp@parliament.uk |
| 323 | Stockton West | Matt Vickers (Conservative) | £150.82 | £8,366,347 | 14,670 | matt.vickers.mp@parliament.uk |
| 364 | Newcastle upon Tyne North | Catherine McKinnell (Labour) | £137.28 | £9,975,882 | 18,106 | catherine.mckinnell.mp@parliament.uk |
THE 9 WHO STAND WITH DISABLED PEOPLE
These MPs have publicly committed to oppose PIP cuts:
Hartlepool
Jonathan Brash (Labour) 💷 Saved per person: £354.23 🏛️ Total protected: £20,312,438 👥 Disabled constituents: 21,145 📧 Contact: jonathan.brash.mp@parliament.uk“Signed amendment opposing second reading”
Jarrow and Gateshead East
Kate Osborne (Labour) 💷 Saved per person: £328.18 🏛️ Total protected: £19,072,334 👥 Disabled constituents: 21,811 📧 Contact: kate.osborne.mp@parliament.uk“Publicly opposed cuts”
Bishop Auckland
Sam Rushworth (Labour) 💷 Saved per person: £301.16 🏛️ Total protected: £16,483,202 👥 Disabled constituents: 21,558 📧 Contact: sam.rushworth.mp@parliament.uk“Committed to vote against”
Easington
Grahame Morris (Labour) 💷 Saved per person: £409.16 🏛️ Total protected: £23,766,320 👥 Disabled constituents: 23,939 📧 Contact: grahame.morris.mp@parliament.uk“Thank you for standing with us”
South Shields
Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour) 💷 Saved per person: £318.10 🏛️ Total protected: £17,077,006 👥 Disabled constituents: 19,938 📧 Contact: emma.lewell-buck.mp@parliament.uk“Vocally with Disabled people”
Blyth and Ashington
Ian Lavery (Labour) 💷 Saved per person: £312.56 🏛️ Total protected: £19,386,064 👥 Disabled constituents: 23,915 📧 Contact: ian.lavery.mp@parliament.uk“Strong statements against the cuts”
Middlesbrough & Thornaby East
Andy McDonald (Labour) 💷 Saved per person: £296.37 🏛️ Total protected: £21,819,260 👥 Disabled constituents: 23,421 📧 Contact: andy.mcdonald.2nd@parliament.uk“Thank you for standing with us”
Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend
Mary Glindon (Labour) 💷 Saved per person: £254.82 🏛️ Total protected: £20,158,422 👥 Disabled constituents: 24,702 📧 Contact: mary.glindon.mp@parliament.uk“Thank you for standing with us”
City of Durham
Mary Foy (Labour) 💷 Saved per person: £199.90 🏛️ Total protected: £13,637,483 👥 Disabled constituents: 20,539 📧 Contact: mary.foy.mp@parliament.uk“Thank you for signing the amendment”
Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland
Luke Mayer (Labour) 💷 Saved per person: £278.55 🏛️ Total protected: £15,274,492 👥 Disabled constituents: 19,515 📧 Contact: luke.myer.mp@parliament.uk“Wavering, but still needs to vote against!”
EMPTY CHAIRS TODAY → EMPTY PROMISES TOMORROW?
