Scots Labour MP urges colleagues to vote against DWP benefit cuts next week
Brian Leishman said asked his fellow Labour MPs "to do the right thing and stop the proposed changes to our welfare system."
A Scottish Labour MP has urged his colleagues to vote against the UK Government's benefit cuts next week.
Brian Leishman asked his fellow Labour MPs "to do the right thing and stop the proposed changes to our welfare system." He warned the "vote will define careers."
The UK Government's plans to tighten eligibility for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Universal Credit will go to the House of Commons next week.
Alloa and Grangemouth MP Leishman said: "The welfare reforms the government are proposing will impoverish some of the most vulnerable people in our society. Of that there is no doubt.
"I joined Labour because I believe the party is the way to achieving an equal, fair and socially just country that looks after the most disadvantaged people.
"Goodness knows that after 14 years of austerity and politics that was designed to make people poorer and has ripped the heart out of communities that the country needs to be rebuilt.
"But it has to be rebuilt in a way that is caring and compassionate and shaped by real Labour Party values.
"Labour MPs have a choice to make. Do they believe that the most vulnerable people should be looked after, or not? That's what the vote on these welfare reforms ultimately boils down to. This vote will define careers and this Labour government.
"I urge Labour MPs to do the right thing and stop the proposed changes to our welfare system. Let's build the country we need and work with disability charities and organisations that have frontline experience of the struggle faced by disabled people so we then create a welfare system that truly looks after people."
The UK Government wants to change who is eligible for PIP so only the most severely disabled can make claims.
Ministers also want to cut the sickness related element of universal credit and delay access to it, so only those aged 22 and over can claim it.
Most working Scots on disability benefit receive the devolved Adult Disability Payment (ADP), but SNP Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville confirmed that ADP will not be cut.
She did not explain where the money would come from, even though the UK cuts will likely mean the Scottish Government receives less money
A UK Government source said: "Our reforms will protect the most vulnerable, help those who can work into good, secure jobs and ensure the safety net is there in the future for those who need it most."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
17 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Starmer faces major Labour rebellion over benefits cuts
Sir Keir Starmer is facing the biggest Labour rebellion of his premiership to date after more than 100 of his own MPs backed a bid to sink his £5 billion welfare cuts. Dozens of Labour MPs have signed an amendment to the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill, which is due to be debated in the House of Commons for the first time on July 1. The amendment sets out a long list of reasons why the Bill should be rejected, including a lack of consultation with disabled people and the Government's own assessment that the changes could push an extra 250,000 people into poverty. If the amendment is selected for debate and if all of the Labour MPs who have signed it were to vote in favour of it, along with opposition parties, it would be enough to kill the Bill. It represents a major challenge to Sir Keir's authority and will send Downing Street scrambling to defuse the situation and keep the Bill alive. The Government's welfare reforms would see more of an emphasis placed on getting people on benefits back into work, with the stated aim of saving £5 billion a year by 2030. Under the proposals in the Bill, ministers will limit eligibility for the personal independence payment which is the main disability payment in England and also limit the sickness-related element of Universal Credit. But there has been rumbling and growing opposition to the changes from Labour MPs concerned at the impact they could have on some of the most vulnerable people in society. Ministers have already attempted to soften the impact of the changes but dozens of Labour MPs are still opposed to the Bill. The amendment has been tabled by Dame Meg Hillier, the chairman of the powerful Liaison Committee, and has been signed by numerous senior backbench figures. Another nine Labour select committee chairs have also backed the amendment, including Debbie Abrahams from the Work and Pensions Select Committee and Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, from the Defence Select Committee. Other notable Labour figures who have signed the amendment include Diane Abbott, the Mother of the House of Commons, and former leadership contender Rebecca Long-Bailey. Vicky Foxcroft, the former whip who resigned from the Government last week over the welfare plans, has also signed the amendment. 'Consult disabled people' The amendment notes the 'need for the reform of the social security system' and agrees with the Government's 'principles for providing support to people into work and protecting people who cannot work'. But it states the Bill should be rejected 'because its provisions have not been subject to a formal consultation with disabled people, or co-produced with them, or their carers'. It also states that the Government's own impact assessment 'estimates that 250,000 people will be pushed into poverty as a result of these provisions, including 50,000 children'. A total of 108 MPs have signed the amendment. Ms Abrahams said the MPs 'want the Government to listen and to think again on this Bill'. She added: 'We are being asked to vote for this Bill before disabled people have been consulted, before impact assessments have been conducted and before we have given enough time to some of the Government's key policies – investing in the NHS, to the right to try, and to work coaching – (to) have been able to bed in.' Liz Kendall, the Work and Pensions Secretary, told a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party on Monday evening that the proposed changes were 'rooted in fairness'. She argued the reforms were about ensuring the survival of the welfare state so there is always a safety net for those who need it. Ms Kendall added: 'Above all, they are about our belief that everyone can fulfil their potential and live their hopes and dreams when, collectively, we provide them with real opportunities and support. This is the better future we seek to build for our constituents and our country.'
Glasgow Times
26 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
More than 100 MPs threaten to halt welfare reforms in PM's biggest rebellion
Some 108 MPs' signatures appear on a reasoned amendment declining to give the welfare reform Bill a second reading when it returns to the Commons on July 1. The rebellion, the Prime Minister's largest yet, would be enough to defeat the Government's plans if opposition MPs joined the Labour rebels. The amendment, published on Tuesday's order paper, notes there is a 'need for the reform of the social security system'. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's Commons majority could be under threat by rebel Labour MPs opposed to his Government's welfare reform plans (Jordan Pettitt/PA) But it calls for the Commons to decline to continue scrutinising the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill 'because the Government's own impact assessment estimates that 250,000 people will be pushed into poverty as a result of these provisions, including 50,000 children'. There has been no formal consultation with disabled people who will be impacted by the changes, the MPs said. They also point to the fact that an analysis of the impact of the reforms on employment from the Office for Budget Responsibility will not be published until the autumn. Several Labour select committee chairs were among those who put their name to the amendment, including chairwoman of the Treasury committee Dame Meg Hillier, and Debbie Abrahams, chairwoman of the work and pensions select committee. The MPs who signed the amendment 'want the Government to listen and to think again on this Bill', Ms Abrahams said. She added: 'We are being asked to vote for this Bill before disabled people have been consulted, before impact assessments have been conducted and before we have given enough time to some of the Government's key policies – investing in the NHS, to the right to try, and to work coaching – (to) have been able to bed in.' Vicky Foxcroft, the former Government whip who resigned over the welfare plans, has also signed the amendment. Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle would need to select the amendment when MPs debate the legislation at its second reading. Under the proposals in the Bill, ministers will limit eligibility for the personal independence payment (Pip), the main disability payment in England, and limit the sickness-related element of Universal Credit (UC). Ministers have previously said the reforms could save up to £5 billion a year. Amid the growing threat of rebellion, Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden warned on Tuesday morning it would be a 'very serious thing' for Labour MPs to effectively vote down the Bill at its first major outing in the Commons. He added: 'You're right to point out that this phrase reasoned amendment isn't just a small tweak. It would stop the legislative process if it succeeded.' Mr McFadden insisted the growing costs of welfare were unsustainable, as a 'city the size of Leicester' was being added to the population on benefits each year. Pat McFadden said the increasing welfare bill was unsustainable (James Manning/PA) 'I don't think as the party of labour, the party of work, we can sit back and be relaxed about so many people going on to long-term sickness and disability benefits,' he added. Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall spent Monday night speaking to backbench MPs about the reforms at a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP). Those leaving the meeting insisted there was broad consensus in the room, with only few MPs standing up to make their opposition known. The Work and Pensions Secretary told the PLP that the plans are 'rooted in fairness'. She argued they are about ensuring the survival of the welfare state so there is always a safety net for those in need of it. Ms Kendall added: 'Above all, they are about our belief that everyone can fulfil their potential and live their hopes and dreams when, collectively, we provide them with real opportunities and support. 'This is the better future we seek to build for our constituents and our country.'
Leader Live
26 minutes ago
- Leader Live
More than 100 MPs threaten to halt welfare reforms in PM's biggest rebellion
Some 108 MPs' signatures appear on a reasoned amendment declining to give the welfare reform Bill a second reading when it returns to the Commons on July 1. The rebellion, the Prime Minister's largest yet, would be enough to defeat the Government's plans if opposition MPs joined the Labour rebels. The amendment, published on Tuesday's order paper, notes there is a 'need for the reform of the social security system'. But it calls for the Commons to decline to continue scrutinising the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill 'because the Government's own impact assessment estimates that 250,000 people will be pushed into poverty as a result of these provisions, including 50,000 children'. There has been no formal consultation with disabled people who will be impacted by the changes, the MPs said. They also point to the fact that an analysis of the impact of the reforms on employment from the Office for Budget Responsibility will not be published until the autumn. Several Labour select committee chairs were among those who put their name to the amendment, including chairwoman of the Treasury committee Dame Meg Hillier, and Debbie Abrahams, chairwoman of the work and pensions select committee. The MPs who signed the amendment 'want the Government to listen and to think again on this Bill', Ms Abrahams said. She added: 'We are being asked to vote for this Bill before disabled people have been consulted, before impact assessments have been conducted and before we have given enough time to some of the Government's key policies – investing in the NHS, to the right to try, and to work coaching – (to) have been able to bed in.' Vicky Foxcroft, the former Government whip who resigned over the welfare plans, has also signed the amendment. Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle would need to select the amendment when MPs debate the legislation at its second reading. Under the proposals in the Bill, ministers will limit eligibility for the personal independence payment (Pip), the main disability payment in England, and limit the sickness-related element of Universal Credit (UC). Ministers have previously said the reforms could save up to £5 billion a year. Amid the growing threat of rebellion, Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden warned on Tuesday morning it would be a 'very serious thing' for Labour MPs to effectively vote down the Bill at its first major outing in the Commons. He added: 'You're right to point out that this phrase reasoned amendment isn't just a small tweak. It would stop the legislative process if it succeeded.' Mr McFadden insisted the growing costs of welfare were unsustainable, as a 'city the size of Leicester' was being added to the population on benefits each year. 'I don't think as the party of labour, the party of work, we can sit back and be relaxed about so many people going on to long-term sickness and disability benefits,' he added. Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall spent Monday night speaking to backbench MPs about the reforms at a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP). Those leaving the meeting insisted there was broad consensus in the room, with only few MPs standing up to make their opposition known. The Work and Pensions Secretary told the PLP that the plans are 'rooted in fairness'. She argued they are about ensuring the survival of the welfare state so there is always a safety net for those in need of it. Ms Kendall added: 'Above all, they are about our belief that everyone can fulfil their potential and live their hopes and dreams when, collectively, we provide them with real opportunities and support. 'This is the better future we seek to build for our constituents and our country.'
