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The Independent
a day ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Government plan to keep Pip payouts for 13 weeks ‘not very much', says MP
A Labour MP has described the Government's plans to avert a rebellion on welfare cuts as 'not very much really'. Dr Simon Opher, a GP and the MP for Stroud, told the BBC he is 'going to rebel' in a vote and 'a number of colleagues are in the same situation'. The 'non-negotiable' protections that Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall is to include in the Welfare Reform Bill are understood to include a guarantee that those who no longer qualify for personal independence payments (Pip) will still receive the payments for 13 weeks. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Saturday, Dr Opher said: 'It's a slight delay in the disability cuts – it's 13 weeks rather than four weeks – so it's something, but not very much really. 'And it doesn't change the basic fact that they're… planning to cut disability payment to quite a lot of people really. 'So not terribly impressed, but it's something at least.' The Government has faced a backlash from its own MPs over the package of measures, aimed at reducing the number of working age people on sickness benefits. Dozens of Labour MPs last month urged the Prime Minister to pause and reassess planned cuts, saying the proposals were 'impossible to support'. Asked whether he would rebel if the measures came to a vote in the Commons, Dr Opher told the programme: 'I am going to rebel. 'And this comes hard to me, I've never actually voted against the Government and I know a number of colleagues in the same situation. 'So I just urge the Government really to just consider parts of this again.' A Green Paper laid out proposals for a 'transitional protection for those who are no longer eligible for Pip', but the Government's plans revealed this week clarify the 13-week length. Ms Kendall told The Guardian earlier this week: 'When we set out our reforms we promised to protect those most in need, particularly those who can never work. 'I know from my 15 years as a constituency MP how important this is. It is something I take seriously and will never compromise on. 'That is why we are putting additional protections on the face of the Bill to support the most vulnerable and help people affected by the changes. 'These protections will be written into law, a clear sign they are non-negotiable.' A Government impact assessment published alongside the reforms warned that 250,000 people, including 50,000 children, across England, Scotland and Wales could fall into relative poverty after housing costs as a result of the changes.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Government plan to keep Pip payouts for 13 weeks ‘not very much', says MP
A Labour MP has described the Government's plans to avert a rebellion on welfare cuts as 'not very much really'. Dr Simon Opher, a GP and the MP for Stroud, told the BBC he is 'going to rebel' in a vote and 'a number of colleagues are in the same situation'. The 'non-negotiable' protections that Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall is to include in the Welfare Reform Bill are understood to include a guarantee that those who no longer qualify for personal independence payments (Pip) will still receive the payments for 13 weeks. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Saturday, Dr Opher said: 'It's a slight delay in the disability cuts – it's 13 weeks rather than four weeks – so it's something, but not very much really. 'And it doesn't change the basic fact that they're… planning to cut disability payment to quite a lot of people really. 'So not terribly impressed, but it's something at least.' The Government has faced a backlash from its own MPs over the package of measures, aimed at reducing the number of working age people on sickness benefits. Dozens of Labour MPs last month urged the Prime Minister to pause and reassess planned cuts, saying the proposals were 'impossible to support'. Asked whether he would rebel if the measures came to a vote in the Commons, Dr Opher told the programme: 'I am going to rebel. 'And this comes hard to me, I've never actually voted against the Government and I know a number of colleagues in the same situation. 'So I just urge the Government really to just consider parts of this again.' A Green Paper laid out proposals for a 'transitional protection for those who are no longer eligible for Pip', but the Government's plans revealed this week clarify the 13-week length. Ms Kendall told The Guardian earlier this week: 'When we set out our reforms we promised to protect those most in need, particularly those who can never work. 'I know from my 15 years as a constituency MP how important this is. It is something I take seriously and will never compromise on. 'That is why we are putting additional protections on the face of the Bill to support the most vulnerable and help people affected by the changes. 'These protections will be written into law, a clear sign they are non-negotiable.' A Government impact assessment published alongside the reforms warned that 250,000 people, including 50,000 children, across England, Scotland and Wales could fall into relative poverty after housing costs as a result of the changes.
Daily Mail
31-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Revealed: Labour MP in undeclared relationship with trade union boss she lobbied for in Parliament
A Labour MP is under pressure to explain why she lobbied Parliament on behalf of a trade union while in an undeclared relationship with its boss. The Mail on Sunday can reveal that Durham MP Mary Foy is in a relationship with militant former fireman Matt Wrack, who led the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) for two decades until January. Ms Foy introduced two Early Day Motions on behalf of the union when Mr Wrack was the FBU's general secretary – one asking for a pay rise for firefighters and the other calling for the Government to support a union campaign. She also accepted a £2,000 donation from the FBU for her 2024 General Election campaign, which she launched alongside Mr Wrack. The union also provided a staff member from its political team to work in Ms Foy's parliamentary office for more than a year. It is understood that Ms Foy has now contacted the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards to check whether she has complied with the rules on MPs' declarations. When approached for comment by the MoS, neither Ms Foy nor Mr Wrack denied the relationship but both maintained that Ms Foy had always campaigned for workers' rights. Meanwhile, multiple well-placed sources have told this newspaper that it was 'well known' within the union that the pair began a relationship after splitting from previous partners. While they have now been together for several years, Ms Foy has not declared the relationship in the MPs' register of interests. The code of conduct requires MPs to declare any family members involved in lobbying the Government, which includes 'cohabiting partners'. Asked repeatedly whether she felt that she should have declared the relationship, Ms Foy declined to answer. Last night Tory MP Ben Obese-Jecty said: 'If these allegations are correct, Ms Foy has serious questions to answer. MPs have a duty to be open and transparent if their family life has any bearing on our work at Westminster. 'Ms Foy should clarify immediately whether she has been so.' Ms Foy came under scrutiny in 2021 during the 'Beergate' probe after Sir Keir Starmer was pictured drinking beer in her Durham office when there were strict Covid rules in place. The Daily Mail reported in 2022 that she had launched a 'drunken tirade' on the Commons terrace against Richard Holden, the Tory MP who led calls for a police investigation into the event. She later apologised to him. Police carried out a two-month investigation before concluding that there had been no breach of the ban on indoor mixing because it was a work gathering. Ms Foy has been a long-time supporter of both the trade union movement generally and also the FBU. While in a relationship with Mr Wrack, Ms Foy said in 2023: 'I'll continue to back the demands of firefighters in Parliament.' Mr Wrack has faced his share of scrutiny in recent months after he failed to be re-elected as the FBU's general secretary in January and then was controversially named as the head of Britain's second-largest teaching union, despite having never been a teacher. The militant socialist was appointed to the £130,000-a-year job at the NASUWT unopposed, but there will now be a contested election for the role after a challenger launched legal action, claiming that he had been barred from running. A spokesman for Ms Foy said: 'Mary Foy works with a wide range of stakeholders, including a number of trade unions. 'Mary has proudly advocated for paramedics, prison officers, teachers, firefighters, doctors and other frontline staff in Durham, the wider North East and indeed the country during her time as an MP – that work will continue.' Mr Wrack said the FBU had introduced a conflict-of-interest policy under his leadership and that he did not attend any discussion on donations relating to the 2024 General Election He added: 'It is entirely reasonable for an MP to raise concerns about the pay of dedicated public servants, especially after years of austerity and falling living standards.' An FBU spokesman said: 'Our union's funding of the Labour Party and a number of its MPs is completely transparent.' A spokesman from the Fire Brigades Union said: 'Our union's funding of the Labour Party and a number of its MPs is completely transparent. Ours is the cleanest money in politics. 'Every political donation made by the union goes through a process and is agreed by the FBU's executive council. 'The FBU is proud of the role our representatives played in campaigning to ensure that Labour's General Election manifesto included a plan to extend workers' rights such as by banning zero-hour contracts and outlawing fire and rehire. 'Labour must be funded by trade unions and membership subscriptions. That transparent relationship is in stark contrast to that of the Tories and Reform UK who are bankrolled by the super rich.'
The Independent
27-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
DWP reveals the 700,000 people who will avoid Starmer's PIP benefits changes
Personal Independence Payment (PIP), a minister has revealed. Currently, around 3.7 million people across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland receive PIP, a benefit designed to assist those facing challenges due to long-term physical or mental health issues. Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) figures show that some 690,186 people aged between 65 and 79 were receiving the benefit in January. But the government plans to tighten eligibility for PIP as part of a package aimed at getting more working-age people currently on benefits into jobs. In a written response to fellow Labour MP Paula Barker's concerns for pensioners, pensions minister Sir Stephen Timms said: 'Our intention is that the new eligibility requirement in PIP in which people must score a minimum of four points in one daily living activity to be eligible for the daily living component, will apply to new claims and award reviews from November 2026, subject to parliamentary approval. 'In keeping with existing policy, people of state pension age are not routinely fully reviewed and will not be affected by the proposed changes.' In another question, independent MP Apsana Begum asked the minister to expand on what would happen to people receiving end-of-life care who are on PIP. Sir Stephen replied: 'We recognise that people nearing the end of their life are some of the most vulnerable people in society and need fast-track and unqualified support at this difficult time. 'People who claim, or are in receipt of, PIP, and are nearing the end of their life with 12 months or less to live, will continue to be able to access the enhanced rate of the daily living component of PIP. We will also maintain the existing fast-track route under the special rules for end of life and where claims are currently being cleared in two working days. This fast-track route will not be impacted by the new eligibility requirement for PIP.' Changes to the health-related benefit formed the bulk of savings in Labour's 'Pathways to Work' green paper, with the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) projecting that anticipated changes could impact around 800,000 recipients. However, some independent experts predict the impacts could be even greater. It came as a backbench rebellion over the proposals could spread to more than 100 MPs, some reports have suggested. Peter Lamb, the Labour MP for Crawley, told BBC Radio 4's Westminster Hour he would be 'voting against anything which is going to restrict access to PIP further than it's currently restricted'. Many Labour MPs across different wings of the party are 'deeply uncomfortable' with what ministers are planning, he also said. Last week however, the work and pensions secretary insisted she will press ahead with measures to cut the welfare bill, claiming the move will address an 'economic and social crisis'. In a speech in London, Liz Kendall said: 'We are the only economy in the G7 whose employment rate still hasn't returned to pre-pandemic levels, and spending on sickness and disability benefits in most other comparable countries is either stable or falling since the pandemic, yet ours continues to inexorably rise. 'There is nothing Labour about accepting the cost of this economic – but above all, social – crisis, paid for in people's life chances and living standards.' Elsewhere, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is expected this week to commit to restoring the winter fuel payment in full, as well as scrapping the two-child benefit cap if elected in the future. The move is an attempt to outflank Labour with its traditional working-class supporters, according to Reform sources.
The Sun
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Brit teen ‘cannabis smuggler' Bella Culley, 18, arrested in Georgia is great-granddaughter of late Labour grandee
A BRIT teen held in Georgia accused of smuggling 30lb of marijuana is the great-granddaughter of a Labour MP who was caught up in the parliamentary expenses scandal. Bella May Culley faces life in prison in a brutal ex-Soviet slammer after she was arrested at Tbilisi airport on suspicion of drug smuggling. 6 6 6 6 The 18-year-old appeared in court earlier this week, where she said was pregnant before stating she would reserve the right to remain silent. But the nursing student from County Durham is the great-granddaughter of ex-Stockton North Labour MP Frank Cook, who passed away in 2012, the MailOnline has reported. Culley is reported to regularly post pictures with her "special lady" grandmother - who is the late MP's daughter. In one post wishing her happy birthday, she says she loves her "unconditionally" before calling her "one of the most important ladies in my life". Cook, who represented Stockton North for 27 years, was among the MPs implicated in the 2009 expenses row that rocked Westminster to its core. It transpired he had claimed for £153,902, which included a £5 donation made by an aide representing him at a memorial service. However, he would later explain this donation was an IOU from the member of staff who went to the service on his behalf - and that he expensed it by mistake. "It was a genuine mistake and I stress again: I would never deliberately make a claim of this kind," he said. He would later lose a libel case against The Sunday Telegraph following the revelations. Cook stood as an independent candidate in his constituency at the 2010 general election after being deselected by Labour, but he failed to retain the seat. He died in 2012 at the age of 76 - a year after being diagnosed with lung cancer. Culley was arrested after she was allegedly caught trying to sneak 34 bags of marijuana in her luggage through the Georgian capital's main airport. She had been reported missing in Thailand - where she had been travelling - before she was arrested 4,000 miles away. Her family had raised the alarm after she failed to contact anyone since Saturday - despite usually being a prolific texter. Her dad Neil Culley, who lives in Vietnam, has reportedly flown to the Eastern European nation to be by his daughter's side. A loved-one said: "She is just a student - she doesn't really go out or do anything like that. She just wanted a break so took herself to Thailand. "She must have become mixed up with someone. She must have met someone who has taken advantage of her." Authorities in Georgia claim she tried to stash 34 bags of cannabis in her luggage which was detected at the airport. A report by Georgia's ombudsman into Women's Penitentiary No. 5 outlines the horrors that could await the Brit teenager. "When prisoners are received at the No.5 Facility, they are inspected naked and are requested to squat, which the inmates consider degrading treatment," the report reads. "According to inmates, this procedure is especially humiliating and intensive during an inmate's menstrual cycle." Hygiene problems are said to be rampant, with reports of no running drinking water and clogged drains. Just earlier this year, the journalist Mzia Amaglobeli went on hunger strike inside the women's prison in protest against Georgia's government. In 2006, a Tbilisi prison saw seven inmates killed and 17 seriously injured in one of the country's worst ever prison riots. Authorities were accused of using excessive force. A Human Rights Watch report has found Georgia's prisons are "severely overcrowded" - which threatens the safety of inmates. Georgia's Interior Ministry says she could face 20 years or even a life sentence in an overcrowded Women's Penitentiary No. 5 in Rustavi The country has been blasted for its treatment of its prisoners by rights groups. Culley's paternal grandfather said: "I'm terrified that she's in for a long sentence. I might never see her again - I'm 80 years old. "She's got sucked into something, somehow. She's not an international drug trafficker. "It's all just very strange and at the moment we just don't have any answers. We don't know what to think." Bella's lawyer said after her court appearance: "My client is currently exercising the right to remain silent, so we will provide detailed information later, once they decide how to proceed." 6
