Ministers in talks over welfare concessions as Labour rebellion grows

South Wales Guardian

12 hours ago

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said talks between backbenchers and Government were 'ongoing' on Wednesday night as Downing Street seeks to head off what would be Sir Keir Starmer's first Commons defeat.
It came as six more Labour MPs added their names to an amendment that would halt the legislation in its tracks, arguing disabled people have not been properly consulted and further scrutiny of the changes is needed.
The new signatories include the Commons Environmental Audit Select Committee chairman Toby Perkins, Stoke-on-Trent Central MP Gareth Snell, Newcastle upon Tyne MP Mary Glindon and Tamworth MP Sarah Edwards.
North Ayrshire and Arran MP Irene Campbell and Colchester MP Pam Cox, both of whom won their seats in the party's 2024 landslide election victory, have also added their names.
The new names takes the total number of Labour backbenchers supporting the so-called 'reasoned amendment,' tabled by Treasury Select Committee chairwoman Dame Meg Hiller, to 126.
The Prime Minister has insisted the reforms are set for a Commons vote on Tuesday as planned, but ministers are locked in talks with backbenchers about the possibility of making changes to soften the impact of the Bill as a major revolt looms.
Asked what concessions could be offered to convince rebels to back the Government, Ms Rayner sought to reassure backbenchers that they would not be expected to betray the party's traditional values.
'I'm not going to get into that on your show tonight,' she said in an interview on ITV's Peston programme.
'Those discussions are ongoing around making sure that the welfare reforms that we're bringing in support people into work who need that, and we're putting a huge amount of investment into doing that, but also protecting the most vulnerable.'
She acknowledged that 'a lot of people are very scared about these changes' but added: 'I haven't changed my Labour values and we're not expecting our benches to do anything that isn't in check with them.
'What we want to do is support people, and that is the crucial bit around these reforms of what Labour are trying to achieve, and we're discussing that with our MPs.'
The plans restrict eligibility for personal independence payment (Pip), the main disability payment in England, and limit the sickness-related element of universal credit. The Government hopes the changes will get more people back into work and save up to £5 billion a year.
Existing claimants will be given a 13-week phase-out period of financial support, a move seen as a bid to head off opposition by aiming to soften the impact of the changes.
But the fact so many Labour MPs are prepared to put their names to the 'reasoned amendment' calling for a change of course shows how entrenched the opposition remains.
One backbencher preparing to vote against the Bill told the PA news agency: 'A lot of people have been saying they're upset about this for months. To leave it until a few days before the vote, it's not a very good way of running the country.
'It's not very grown up.'
They said that minor concessions would not be enough, warning: 'I don't think you can tinker with this. They need to go back to the drawing board.'
According to the Government's impact assessment, the welfare reforms as a whole could push an extra 250,000 people, including 50,000 children, into relative poverty.
Asked whether she thought there were hundreds of thousands of people claiming disability benefits who were not disabled, Ms Rayner said: 'No, what we're saying though is that the welfare system has to be able to have longevity.'
Earlier on Wednesday, Sir Keir defended his leadership against accusations he had misjudged the mood in his party, insisting he is 'comfortable with reading the room'.
At a press conference at the Nato summit in The Hague, the Prime Minister said: 'Is it tough going? Are there plenty of people and noises off? Yes, of course, there always are, there always have been, there always will be.
'But the important thing is to focus on the change that we want to bring about.'
Later on Wednesday, armed forces minister Luke Pollard echoed the Deputy Prime Minister, telling Sky News's Politics Hub show that 'of course' the Government was in talks about possibly making changes.
'Of course we are, and I think there's a concern that's very valid and real for lots of my colleagues. They're not doing this to cause trouble or be argumentative,' he said.
'They're doing it because they have a genuine, heartfelt concern about some of the impacts. '
He said some of the reforms would be supported across the party but 'where there is concerns… those discussions will continue until the vote and beyond.'
Speaking to BBC Newsnight, Mr Pollard said the Government had 'between now and Tuesday to listen to those concerns' and 'to address them' before making the case for reform in the Commons debate next week.
Asked whether the Government would listen to calls for it to change course over planned cuts to Pip, he said: 'I think that's for many colleagues where the real concern is.'
The Daily Telegraph reported that the Prime Minister was prepared to back down on the welfare Bill with Number 10 considering tabling its own amendment to the legislation on Tuesday.
Options being considered include a commitment to speed up payment of support to help people back into work and offering assurances that reviews of policies in this area will be published, according to the paper.
Meanwhile, The Times reported some MPs opposed to the plans had blamed Sir Keir's chief of staff Morgan McSweeney and suggested the time had come for 'regime change' in Downing Street.
Other senior Labour figures outside Parliament, including Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan, have publicly expressed their opposition to the plans.
Meanwhile, the Tories seem unlikely to lend the Government their support, with leader Kemi Badenoch setting out conditions for doing so including a commitment to rule out tax rises in the autumn budget and further cut the benefits bill.