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Labour MPs revolt over 'disastrous' and 'cruel' welfare cuts
Labour MPs have described the government's planned cuts to personal independence payments (PIP) as "cruel", "unfair" and "disastrous" during spiky questions to ministers at the Department of Work and Pensions.
Voters' anger about the welfare reforms is blamed by many as a key factor behind Labour's dire performance at the recent local elections.
The government plans to save £5bn by tightening the eligibility criteria for PIP, which is designed to help with the costs of additional care or mobility needs as a result of illness or a disability.
Watch: Why is the government cutting benefits?
Imran Hussain, Labour MP for Bradford East, told ministers his disabled constituents are "rightly horrified" by the plans.
"I cannot support any cuts that worsen inequalities in places like Bradford," he argued, calling on minister Liz Kendall to listen to calls to scrap the cuts and "tax the super rich" instead.
Hussain is no stranger to rebelling against Sir Keir Starmer.
He's one of six MPs who lost the Labour whip after voting for an SNP amendment to scrap the two-child benefit cap shortly after the general election in July, though was reinstated in February.
Richard Burgon is another. The MP for Leeds East cited data which suggested 700,000 families already in poverty will be hit even harder than the 250,000 people the government's own impact assessment predicted will be pushed into poverty by the cuts.
"Will the minister come clean about the true scale of poverty this disastrous policy will cause?" he asked.
"It flies in the face of what a Labour government is meant to do - lift people out of poverty, not push people further in."
Watch: Benefit cuts explained
Steve Witherden, MP for Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr, echoed calls for a change in approach, calling for a wealth tax.
Mary Kelly Foy MP represents the City of Durham, an area where Reform made big wins in the local elections, taking control of the county council.
"Wouldn't it be more constructive for the government to start with listening to the calls from disability groups and disabled people and supporting them into work, rather than cutting the benefits first and pushing these people further into poverty?" she asked.
Government defends reforms
All four of these MPs are in the left-wing Socialist Campaign Group and signed a recent public letter calling for the cuts to be scrapped.
Work and Pensions Secretary Kendall told MPs: "We want to improve people's chances and choices by supporting people who can work to do so, and protecting people who cannot.
"If you are a disabled person in work you are half as likely to be poor than people who are out of work."
Minster Steven Timms argued impact assessments don't take into account the impact of plans to support more sick and disabled people into work, and said the government is engaging with disabled people's groups.
A vote on the reforms is due in June, with speculation it could lead to a large backbench rebellion - although Labour enjoy such a hefty majority they're unlikely to face defeat.
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