Labour whip resigns over government's proposed welfare cuts
Labour MP Vicky Foxcroft has resigned as a government whip over the party's welfare proposals, saying that she could not vote 'for reforms which include cuts to disabled people's finances'.
In a letter to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, the MP for Lewisham North said: "I absolutely understand the need to address the ever-increasing welfare bill in these difficult economic times.
"But I have always believed this could and should be done by supporting more disabled people into work.
"I do not believe that cuts to personal independence payment (PIP) and the health element of Universal Credit should be part of the solution."
Foxcroft said it had been an 'honour' to serve in the government and had "wrestled" over whether to "resign or remain in the government and fight for change from within".
"Sadly it is now seems that we are not going to get the changes I desperately wanted to see," she added.'I therefore tender my resignation as I know I will not be able to do the job that is required of me and whip – or indeed vote – for reforms which include cuts to disabled people's finances."
Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, who lost the Labour whip last year, posted on X: 'Vicky Foxcroft worked really hard as the shadow minister for the disabled & as a result will have a thorough understanding of the implications of the benefit cuts on disabled people. I fully respect her for the decision she has taken.'
Starmer has faced a backlash from some Labour MPs over proposals to reform the welfare system, expected to save up to £5 billion a year.
The government's proposals – aimed at encouraging more people off sickness benefits and into work – are set to include the tightening of criteria for personal independence payment (Pip), which is the main disability benefit.
They also include a cut to the sickness-related element of universal credit (UC) and delayed access to only those aged 22 and over.
Ministers are likely to face a Commons stand-off with backbench Labour MPs over their plans, with dozens of them last month saying the proposals were 'impossible to support'.
The legislation, known as the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill, was formally introduced to the Commons on Wednesday. MPs will debate a second reading of the bill on July 1.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Rhyl Journal
an hour ago
- Rhyl Journal
Labour whip resigns over proposed welfare cuts
In a letter informing the Prime Minister of her resignation, the MP for Lewisham North said she understood 'the need to address the ever-increasing welfare bill' but did not believe the proposed cuts 'should be part of the solution'. She said: 'I have wrestled with whether I should resign or remain in the Government and fight for change from within. (1/2) With a heavy heart, I have written to the Prime Minister to tender my resignation as a whip. Whilst I will continue to support the government in delivering the change the country so desperately needs, I cannot vote in favour of the proposed reforms to disability benefits. — Vicky Foxcroft 💙 (@vickyfoxcroft) June 19, 2025 'Sadly it is now (sic) seems that we are not going to get the changes I desperately wanted to see. 'I therefore tender my resignation as I know I will not be able to do the job that is required of me and whip – or indeed vote – for reforms which include cuts to disabled people's finances.' Ms Foxcroft, who previously served as shadow minister for disabled people, is the first frontbencher to resign over the proposed benefit cuts, and the second to go over policy issues following Anneliese Dodds' decision to quit as development minister over cuts to the aid budget. Rebel Labour MPs welcomed her decision, with Hartlepool's Jonathan Brash saying he had the 'utmost respect' for her 'principled stand' and Crewe and Nantwich's Connor Naismith saying it 'must have been an incredibly difficult decision but she should be commended for standing by her principles'. Responding to Ms Foxcroft's resignation, a Government spokesperson said: 'This Labour Government was elected to deliver change. The broken welfare system we inherited is failing the sick and most vulnerable and holding too many young people back. It is fair and responsible to fix it. 'Our principled reforms will ensure those who can work should, that those who want to work are properly supported, and that those with most severe disabilities and health conditions are protected.' Sir Keir Starmer has faced a backlash from some Labour MPs over proposals to reform the welfare system expected to save up to £5 billion a year. Legislation introduced into Parliament on Wednesday includes a tightening of the criteria for the main disability payment in England, personal independence payment (Pip). Ministers also want to cut the sickness related element of universal credit (UC), and delay access to it, so only those aged 22 and over can claim it. The package of reforms is aimed at encouraging more people off sickness benefits and into work, but dozens of Labour rebels said last month that the proposals were 'impossible to support'. Pip is a benefit aimed at helping with extra living costs if someone has a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability and difficulty doing certain everyday tasks or getting around because of their condition. The latest data, published on Tuesday, showed 3.7 million people in England and Wales claimed Pip, up from 2.05 million in 2019, with teenagers and young adults making up a growing proportion of claimants. Around 800,000 people are set to lose out on the benefit under the Government's proposals, according to an impact assessment published alongside Wednesday's legislation. The impact assessment also confirmed a previous estimate that some 250,000 more people, including 50,000 children, are likely to fall into relative poverty after housing costs in 2029/2030, although the Government repeated that this does not take into account the potentially positive impact of £1 billion annual funding by then for measures to support people into work. Changes to universal credit are expected to see an estimated 2.25 million current recipients of the health element impacted, with an average loss of £500 per year. But the Government said around 3.9 million households not on the UC health element are expected to have an average annual gain of £265 from the increase in the standard UC allowance. Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said the legislation 'marks the moment we take the road of compassion, opportunity and dignity'. But Neil Duncan-Jordan, the Labour MP for Poole and one of the backbenchers opposed to the change, said the Government was 'rushing through' the changes and urged ministers to think again.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Bring back Rwanda scheme to end small boats crisis, says architect of Australia's successful migrant crackdown
The mastermind behind Australia's migrant crackdown has called on Keir Starmer to 'reinstitute' the Rwanda scheme. Alexander Downer called on the Prime Minister to 'eat a bit of political humble pie' and resurrect the scheme, which was scrapped last year in one of Starmer's first acts after being elected into No 10. Sir Keir insisted the deportation scheme was a £700million 'gimmick' which did nothing to cut migrant Channel crossings. But Mr Downer, who was Australia's minister for foreign affairs from 1996 to 2007, claimed the move was a 'tragedy' and believes it could have worked if the legal issues surrounding it 'could be properly addressed'. 'It would have worked assuming the legal issues could be properly addressed — and they were being,' he told the Sun. 'So the easiest thing for them to do would be to eat a bit of political humble pie and reinstitute the Rwanda scheme.' Just earlier this week, Downing Street admitted the situation in the Channel was 'deteriorating' as the number of migrants reaching the UK topped 2,000 in a week for the first time in 21 months. The 2,222 arrivals over seven days meant an average of one migrant reached Britain every four-and-a-half minutes. Mr Downer has previously expressed his belief in having a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to illegal migration. The former foreign minister was one of the masterminds behind Australia's crackdown on illegal immigration in the early 2000s, which sought to punish migrants who arrived on the country's shores by boat. This meant sending them by boat to detention centres in Papua New Guinea and the Pacific island of Nauru, where migrants would be offered to return to their home countries and refugees were told they could resettle in another. 'Once word got round that if you tried to get into Australia by boat you would not be allowed in and would be sent to Papua New Guinea instead, they ran out of customers. The smugglers' businesses closed down,' he previously said. The Tony Abbott government claimed a 90 per cent reduction in maritime arrivals of asylum seekers once the policy was introduced in 2013. There were 207 arrivals in November that year, opposed to 2,629 in November 2012. Starmer has pledged to crack down on smuggling gangs that bring people into the UK in small boats, including by targeting criminal networks overseas. Last month he said the Government would start talks with other countries on 'return hubs' for failed asylum seekers, which would see failed asylum seekers sent for processing in third countries prior to deportation. The PM admitted these would not be a 'silver bullet' for halting the crossings, but the proposal is expected to act as a deterrent. Last week's crossing total was the most since September 2023, when the former Tory government's Rwanda policy was still in legal limbo. It tipped the total since Labour came to power at last July's general election past the 40,000 mark, hitting 40,276. Since the start of this year, 17,034 migrants have reached Britain, up 38 per cent on the same period last year. The figure does not include hundreds more who reached Dover yesterday. Reform leader Nigel Farage said it was 'about time' Britain faced up to the fact it was 'our fault' – rather than France's – that so many migrants head here. 'We will never stop the boats from leaving France,' he told broadcaster Talk.
Times
2 hours ago
- Times
CMA to review wrong turns on road and rail building projects
The UK's competition regulator has opened an investigation into Whitehall's delivery of rail and road infrastructure. The inquiry by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) comes just a day after a damning report into the failed delivery of the HS2 high-speed rail line between London and Birmingham which is hugely over-budget, hopelessly late and which ministers have admitted has made Britain the laughing stock of infrastructure investment. It also follows the government's renationalisation of the railways, which it is planning to complete incrementally over the next couple of years. • What happened to HS2? The project that made Britain a laughing stock The CMA said its inquiry would focus 'on persistent issues around costs and delivery of road and railway infrastructure across the country', especially in the light of Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves's new ten-year infrastructure strategy to help grow the economy. 'There's no question that reliable, high-quality infrastructure is critical in accelerating economic growth,' said Sarah Cardell, chief executive of the CMA. 'To achieve this, public authorities and the civil engineering sector must be able to work together to deliver projects on time, within budget and to high standards. 'This review is a crucial step in identifying barriers holding back the sector — supporting the drive to get Britain building and ensuring every penny spent is delivering value for taxpayers.' Identifying the long-standing friction and dysfunctional procurement engagement between Whitehall and its agencies, and private sector contractors, the CMA inquiry states: 'The market study will examine whether there are opportunities to improve how the public sector and industry work together, for example through improvements to public procurement, so more cost-effective infrastructure can be built in support of the government's growth mission.' • Pumping money into infrastructure may not keep Labour in power The CMA said it would make recommendations to government but does not have the power to intervene in the market directly. Civil engineering is reckoned to be worth £23 billion annually to the UK economy. The National Infrastructure Commission has estimated that public and private sector investment will need to increase by up to 50 per cent over the next decade to deliver more complex infrastructure. Road and railway projects account for up to 75 per cent of government spending on economic infrastructure such as transportation and energy. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors indicated the sector has previously suffered from a lack of what its chief executive Justin Young called a 'clear, joined-up infrastructure strategy that incorporates long-term thinking and vision'. Young said he believes 'the country is on a considerably clearer path and represents a significant shift in how the government approaches infrastructure and industrial capacity', but warned of 'skills and labour shortages [that] stifle construction projects and investment in skills for new professionals'.
