Latest news with #LabourRebellion
Telegraph
08-07-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Starmer faces fresh rebellion over welfare benefit cuts
Sir Keir Starmer faces another Labour rebellion on Wednesday over his remaining welfare cuts. More than two dozen of the Prime Minister's backbenchers are urging him to sustain the health element of the Universal Credit (UC) benefit at its current level. The new rebellion threat comes as the Welfare Bill – which was heavily watered down last week in the face of a major Labour revolt – returns to the Commons for its final parliamentary stages. Currently, people claiming the health element of Universal Credit receive £432.27 a month. This would be roughly halved to £217.26 from next April under the new proposals. The cut is the only substantial benefit reduction to survive the rebellion of the past fortnight during which more than 120 Labour MPs had braced to defy the Prime Minister and vote down his plans. The Government reacted by promising that all existing disability claimants will keep their benefits. It also dropped changes to who can claim personal independence payments (PIP). But 49 Labour MPs voted against the Bill regardless and 26 of these now have backed a new amendment calling for the health element of UC to remain at its current rate of £432.27. It has been tabled by Richard Burgon, a prominent figure on the Left of the party who served as shadow justice secretary under Jeremy Corbyn. Mr Burgon warned Labour MPs against thinking that the 'worst parts of the Bill' had already been watered down and called on them to oppose Sir Keir's changes to UC. In an article for the Labour List website, he said: 'Those losing out will include people facing some of the most distressing and difficult circumstances. 'That includes people unable to turn the pages of a book with either hand, those who cannot bring food or drink to their mouth without help of someone else, those who cannot communicate a simple message such as the presence of a hazard, and those with debilitating incontinence. 'No Labour MP should be backing any of that. That's why I have tabled an amendment to prevent this cruel and unnecessary cut – and the damaging two-tier system it would create.' The Government has a working parliamentary majority of 165 after Sir Keir's landslide last July and Mr Burgon's amendment is well short of the 83 rebels needed to inflict a defeat. But Downing Street could still find at least two dozen Labour MPs once again voting against its flagship legislation despite last week's climbdown opening up a £5 billion black hole. Mr Burgon's amendment has the support of both Mr Corbyn and Zarah Sultana, the former Labour MP, who is planning with him to launch a new hard-Left party to challenge Sir Keir nationally. A separate backbench mutiny is also brewing as ministers consider whether to scrap the system which ensures special needs pupils are entitled to personalised support at school. Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary, is considering ditching the bespoke plans under a wholesale review of the current model. On Tuesday, Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister and Communities Secretary, was asked by a Commons committee to guarantee no child with special needs would lose out. Ms Rayner, whose son Charlie is registered blind and has additional needs, replied: 'We're absolutely clear that the legal right for additional support is absolutely the right thing to do and that SEND [special educational needs and disabilities] children need that support. 'And as somebody who's been through that system very recently I understand that the holy grail of the ECHP plan, even though it has its limitations, I understand why parents are really concerned even though that still doesn't deliver what parents want for their children.' Ms Rayner went on to declare that 'huge sums of money' were going towards SEND provisions 'but the outcomes are not getting better'. She told MPs: 'Something has to change. And what we're trying to do is collaborate to find out what isn't working, what is working and how to make the system better.'
Daily Mail
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Slow learner... Kendall forgets her own history: ANDREW PIERCE
One particular minister should have known better than to underestimate hostility to the proposed benefits cuts last week. Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall was mauled in the Commons over the disastrous welfare Bill, which sparked a major Labour rebellion and a humiliating 11th-hour U-turn. But, back in 1998, Tony Blair 's government was rocked by a similar revolt when it cut benefits for single parents. Although the controversial measure passed through Parliament, 47 Labour MPs voted against it and the plan's mastermind Harriet Harman was eventually sacked as social security secretary a few months later. Who was Harman's political adviser at the time? Step forward a young Liz Kendall. Talk about history repeating itself. To mark the anniversary of Sir Keir Starmer 's government, I took a look at his party's manifesto. In the first paragraph, there is a pledge to 'stop the endless Conservative chaos' of recent years. In fact, there are no fewer than 38 references to ending Tory 'chaos' in the 136-page document. That looks to me like 38 broken promises and counting. Who is doing Rachel Reeves' make-up? The Chancellor's overnight transformation from her blubby, puffy-eyed PMQs performance to her laughing, fresh-faced visit to east London to unveil the ten-year NHS plan was remarkable. I gather one product known to remove eye bags with such speed is haemorrhoid cream Preparation H. Time to get a prescription? Lord Archer's wise words Sage advice from Lord Archer to would-be politicians: 'When young people come to see me, I say, 'For heavens' sake earn a living, get some experience, then become an MP. Don't go in until you're 40'.' The now 85-year-old became the Tory MP for Louth in 1969 at the age of 29. 'I was thinking I was a god, I was bound to be Prime Minister,' he admits. 'I was an arrogant fool.' Not that it worked out too badly for Lord Archer. He quit Parliament aged 34 because of financial issues – and went on to become a best-selling author. The idea of Angela Rayner becoming PM has been backed by a most unexpected source – the 12th Duke of Beaufort. 'People are terrified of Angela Rayner taking over from Starmer, but I think she is more pragmatic than one thinks,' muses the 73-year-old duke from his 52,000-acre Badminton Estate in Gloucestershire. Labour's Department for Business and Trade paid six 'digital influencers' to promote the Minimum and Living Wage Campaign. Their fees are 'confidential'. Sounds like the Treasury's clampdown on wasteful spending has a way to go. Speaking in Westminster Hall last week, Rishi Sunak made the somewhat underwhelming observation: 'A lot has changed in the last nine years.' Quite. How about eight chancellors and six prime ministers?
The Guardian
02-07-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Keir Starmer forced into dramatic climbdown to pass welfare reform bill
Keir Starmer has been forced to abandon the central plank of his welfare bill to get it past its first Commons hurdle, with a dramatic climbdown that meant he had to drop disability benefit cuts to avert a major Labour rebellion. After a week of chaos that has left the prime minister's political authority badly damaged, Labour MPs were finally won over by a commitment to shelve plans for deep cuts to personal independence payments (Pip). But while the controversial bill passed its second reading, the saga has exposed tensions between No 10 and Labour backbenchers and created a huge headache for Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, who will now have to find a further £2.5bn of savings at her autumn budget. It also raised serious questions about the government's handling of the welfare reform bill, with fingers being pointed at the Downing Street political operation, Labour whips and the prime minister himself for the bruising affair. A total of 49 Labour MPs voted against the second reading, more than three times greater than the previous biggest rebellion of 16, which was on an amendment to the planning and infrastructure bill last month. The universal credit and personal independence payment bill passed it second reading on Tuesday by 335 votes to 260, a majority of 75. MPs were particularly concerned that the government's own poverty analysis showed that, even after a series of concessions, 150,000 of the most vulnerable people would end up in relative poverty as a result. Officials said the modelling did not take into account the changes being made to the NHS and back-to-work schemes. The bulk of the rebels were from the left of the party, and none of them were the select committee chairs who spearheaded the rebellion last week, but it was a sizeable rebellion given the scale of concessions already made. Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, and government whips warned Downing Street on Tuesday that further movement was needed after meetings with Labour MPs already unhappy over the substance of the bill and Starmer's approach after he dismissed criticism as 'noises off'. As a result, the government confirmed the changes to disability payments will only take place after Stephen Timms, the welfare minister, has reported the findings of his review into the system, due to conclude in autumn 2026. Originally, the Pip changes were due to come in from November 2026. Government insiders suggested that resignations could follow the chaotic scenes, although at a cabinet meeting before the vote Starmer defended his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, who has been credited for winning Labour's 165 working majority, but faced some internal criticism over the row. 'We will learn from our mistakes, but we will not turn on each other,' Starmer told his ministers. 'We will not resile from our record of achievements and we will not turn on our staff – including our chief of staff, without whom none of us would be sitting around this cabinet table.' The process left Liz Kendall, the work and pensions secretary, badly humiliated with the U-turn coming just hours after she had told the Commons the new Pip four-point threshold would apply from November 2026 and emphasised the need for the Timms review to take its time. Asked if her position was untenable after the series of concessions left the bill a hollowed-out version of the original proposals, Kendall insisted that despite what she called 'a bumpy time' with the vote, the broader policy was on track. 'I think listening is actually a strength in politics, as indeed it is in life, and I'll continue to listen to colleagues,' she said. 'What was very interesting was how much support there was for the principle of reforming the welfare state.' She insisted the Labour party was '100%' behind the Starmer, but added: 'There are definitely lessons to learn from this process. I certainly will do that, and I'm sure my colleagues will too, but we have agreed on the principles of reform here.' The removal of an entire clause of the bill means there will be no immediate changes to Pip, the most contentious part of the changes, and where ministers hoped to make the bulk of savings. The Timms review will be 'co-produced' with disabled people, leaving open the possibility that they will never happen. However, plans to increase the standard rate of universal credit, to incentivise more people back into work and extra protections for the most severely ill and disabled will go ahead. Separate plans for back-to-work schemes will also proceed. Last week, 126 Labour MPs, led by the Treasury select committee chair, Meg Hillier, signed an amendment designed to blow up the bill. Ministers said that no current claimant would be affected by the changes to UC and Pip. Rebels were also promised the Timms review of the criteria would heavily involve disability groups. But the terms of reference of the review made clear that there would still be a higher bar for obtaining Pip – new claimants would need a high score of four in at least one of the daily living categories for assessment to qualify. Substantial numbers of the rebels fell into line after the government's initial concessions, however 42 Labour MPs backed a separate wrecking amendment, which did not pass, tabled by the backbencher Rachael Maskell. The chancellor will now have to find another £5bn in savings at her budget as a direct result of all the concessions on the welfare bill, as well as £1.25bn to cover the cost of the winter fuel U-turn, all raising the likelihood of her being forced to put up taxes. Ruth Curtice, chief executive of the Resolution Foundation, said: 'The government originally hoped to save £4.8bn from its welfare reforms in the crucial year of 29-30. The upshot of all the concessions this week is it will now not make any net savings in that year. 'The changes to universal credit are nonetheless important for recipients and their work incentives, and are expected to save money in the longer term.' Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader, posted on social media: 'This is an utter capitulation. Labour's welfare bill is now a TOTAL waste of time. It effectively saves £0, helps no one into work, and does NOT control spending. It's pointless. They should bin it, do their homework, and come back with something serious.'
Daily Mail
01-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Keir Starmer in full retreat as he waters down welfare cuts AGAIN in order to avoid his biggest ever rebellion as Labour MPs rail at 'Dickensian' benefits curbs
Keir Starmer made yet another major concession to his already threadbare plan to cut disability benefits tonight in an attempt to water down a major Labour rebellion - just 90 minutes before the vote. The Prime Minister has already humiliatingly weakened the package of welfare reforms by agreeing to only apply them to new claimants, as dozens of his MPs vowed to defy him this evening. Although the scale of the rebellion is now far smaller than the 120-plus who originally signed a fatal amendment, it is still on track to be the biggest of Sir Keir's premiership so far. In a sign of the panic gripping No10, Social Security Minister Sir Stephen Timms confirmed in the Commons that the remaining changes, due to be introduced in November, would now not come in before a review was completed in the autumn of 2026. The volte face ahead of a vote at 7pm caused bemusement in the Commons, with confused MPs questioning if there was anything left for them to vote on. It came after Labour MPs spoke in their droves against the 'Dickensian' plan to make it harder to claim Personal Independence Payment (Pip) or Universal Credit health elements. Concessions had already reduced the planned savings from £5billion to £2.5billion by the end of the decade - taking a wrecking ball to Rachel Reeves' hopes of balancing the books without more tax rises. Cabinet sources told MailOnline they expected the result would be 'tight' - even though no government has lost a piece of legislation at second reading stage since 1986. No10 has refused to rule out further concessions. In a sign of the panic gripping No10, Social Security Minister Sir Stephen Timms confirmed in the Commons that the remaining changes, due to be introduced in November, would now not come in before a review was completed in the autumn of 2026. Intervening during the second reading debate, Sir Stephen said MPs had 'raised concerns that the changes to Pip are coming ahead of the conclusions of the review of the assessment that I will be leading'. 'We have heard those concerns, and that is why I can announce that ... we will move straight to the wider review, sometimes referred to as the Timms review, and only make changes to Pip eligibility activities and descriptors following that review. 'The Government is committed to concluding the review by the autumn of next year.' Tory leader Kemi Badenoch had earlier accused ministers of being 'driven not by principle but by panic', joking that Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall 'looks as if she is being tortured'. Sir Keir gathered Cabinet to take stock of the grim situation this morning, telling his top team the reforms are 'designed to help those who can work into employment and ensure dignity and security for those who can't work'. A truce that had been painstakingly thrashed out last week dramatically disintegrated yesterday amid claims that Sir Keir had reneged on the terms. The Tories have confirmed they will vote against the Bill, despite supporting a welfare spending crackdown. That opens the door to Sir Keir's massive majority of 166 being overturned - although most believe the government will scrape through. Some 39 Labour MPs signed a new fatal amendment overnight, with more than 80 needing to switch sides in theory to inflict a defeat. The Speaker has selected the amendment tabled by Rachael Maskell, meaning that it will go to a vote at 7pm. Ms Maskell has warned 'many more' MPs have told her they still plan to oppose the Government's plans. Speaking in the chamber she said: 'These Dickensian cuts belong to a different era and a different party. They are far from what this Labour Party is for: a party to protect the poor, as is my purpose, for I am my brother's keeper. 'These are my constituents, my neighbours, my community, my responsibility, and I cannot cross by on the other side.' Ms Maskell said she had spoken to a constituent who had felt suicidal discussing the cuts, and told colleagues she felt a duty to protect the disabled. She said: 'I will fight for the purpose of politics, for their livelihoods and their lives. It is a matter of conscience, deep conscience for me to ensure that these precious people are treated for once with dignity.' She added: 'So at this 11th hour I plead, withdraw. We will be met with relief and praise. Let's consult, co-produce, incorporate the Mayfield Review findings and accommodate the Timms Review first.' One rebel ringleader, Debbie Abrahams, said a promised review of the system had not been honoured by the government. The Work and Pensions Committee chair told the House there was 'clear confusion' on the review and whether it would be 'co-produced with disabled people and their organisations'. Referring to the proposed requirement for new Pip claimants to score at least four points on at least one daily living activity, Ms Abrahams said: 'And therein lies the problem – most of us are aware that the dog's breakfast of this Bill is being driven by the need to get four points to the OBR (Office for Budget Responsibility) to enable it to be scored for the budget.' Former frontbencher Rebecca Long-Bailey said the government must 'pull back from the brink'. 'The sad thing is, is that there are alternatives: introduce higher taxes on extreme wealth; end the stealth subsidies for banks; tax gambling fairly and properly. The list of alternatives is endless,' she said. Ms Kendall said welfare reform 'is never easy, perhaps especially for Labour governments'. The Work and Pensions Secretary told the Commons: 'Reviewing the assessment as a whole, let me just say, it is a major undertaking that will take time to get right, especially if we co-produce it properly. 'It will be for those involved in the review to determine the precise (timetable), but we are absolutely committed to moving quickly and completing the review by next autumn. 'And I want to assure the House, any changes following the Timms review will be implemented as soon as is practicably possible via primary or secondary legislation. 'And once we have implemented changes from the review, any existing Pip (personal independence payment) claimant can ask for re-assessment. 'Welfare reform, let's be honest, is never easy, perhaps especially for Labour governments. Our social security system directly touches the lives of millions of people and it is something we all care deeply about. 'We have listened to the concerns that have been raised to help us get these changes right. The Bill protects people already claiming Pip, it protects in real terms the incomes of people already receiving the UC (universal credit) health top-up from that benefit and their standard allowance, and it protects those with severe lifelong conditions who will never work, and those near the end of their life as we promised we would.' DWP estimates that the latest proposals would still push 150,000 extra people into poverty by 2030 angered many, even though it was lower than the 250,000 envisaged in the original plans. She said she had no fear in voting down the Bill and felt a 'moral duty' to 'speak up for' disabled people. 'Yes, I support getting disabled people into work where they've been discriminated and dismissed, of course that's important, but when those people can't work or need longer to prepare for work, it is vital we don't remove their lifeline,' she said. 'Or else they'll disappear further and further into the margins.' But Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told Sky News: 'I'd ask (colleagues) to support the Government on that basis, because clearly what we've got here is something which is better than the existing system. Asked whether MPs would lose the whip for voting against the Government, he said he was 'not aware of anything like that' but 'those issues are for the chief whip'. Rachel Reeves defended the government's record on helping people in poverty earlier today. 'The Government is committed to ensuring that there are fewer sick and disabled people in poverty by helping them into work and getting them off NHS waiting lists,' she said. 'That is why at the spring statement, we announced the largest investment in employment support in at least a generation. The Government has already taken action to tackle poverty including with the fair repayment rate, which lowers the cap on deductions in universal credit. 'And we've increased the national living wage by 6.7%. 'Beyond this, we're investing to reduce poverty by expanding free school meals, investing in a £1 billion settlement for crisis support, and we'll be setting out our child poverty strategy in the autumn. We've invested £29 billion in reducing NHS waiting lists, and since taking office, there are 385,000 more people in work.'
The Guardian
30-06-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Kendall steps up efforts to win over Labour welfare rebels, as Burnham tells MPs to vote against ‘unfair' bill
Update: Date: 2025-06-30T08:15:54.000Z Title: Clive Efford. Content: Good morning. Last week, on their Political Currency podcast, Ed Balls and George Osborne were talking about the Labour rebellion over the legislation to cut disability benefits – the universal credit (UC) and personal independence payment (Pip) bill – and Osborne asked for an example of an MP who would never normally rebel against the government because they were inherently mainstream and loyal, but who was opposed to this plan. Balls menioned Clive Efford, the veteran MP for Eltham and Chiselhurst. They were speaking on Thursday, before the government announced massive concessions to the bill worth £3bn a year. Those concessions have won over some Labour MPs who were going to vote against the bill tomorrow, and Keir Starmer, instead of facing certain defeat, now seems likely to win the vote – although with a much reduced majority. But many moderates are still opposed and this morning one of them was on the Today programme. It was He told the programme that he was still not in a position to support the bill because the government has not yet published the full assessment of how people will be affected, and whether (as ministers claim) the cuts won't lead to more poverty because people will get jobs instead. He said: There are still £3.5 billion-worth of savings that are required in these measures and we don't yet know the poverty impact that they will have. The original motion [the reasoned amendment to kill the bill, signed by Efford and more than 120 other Labour MPs] was asking for more time for us to understand the impact of these changes and that still applies to those people who will be adversely affected. I think there are a lot of people waiting to hear what the government is saying today who may be inclined to accept what the government has done. For me the situation hasn't changed for those people who will be adversely affected and until we know and understand the impact on them, we shouldn't be taking what I think is a leap in the dark. There are choices that the government can make here; there are other places it can go to identify the resources. What we want to see, and fully support, is measures the government is putting in the palace to assist people to move into work, the right to try, we support, but we can't guarantee the savings. When you're asking for £3.5bn regardless of the impact of those changes that can only adversely affect people who are in the benefit system. We cannot make assumptions about how much we can save in the welfare system ahead of actually bringing in those changes and seeing how they work. As Pippa Crerar and Rowena Mason report in their overnight story, Efford is far from alone; Vicky Foxcroft, who resigned as a government whip over the cuts, has not been won over by the concessions. Liz Kendall, the work and pensions secretary, is expected to make a Commons statement today giving more details of the concessions. The Department for Work and Pensions issued some details overnight. At the weekend the continuity rebels won the backing of Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester. Burnham, who has become increasingly vocal in recent weeks in setting out an alternative, more muscular, soft left alternative to what Keir Starmer is offering, was at Glastonbury where he urged Labour MPs to vote down the bill. As Huffpost UK reports, he said: What's been announced is half a U-turn, a 50% U-turn. In my view I'd still hope MPs vote against the whole bill when it comes before parliament … [Labour MPs] face the prospect, if they accept this package, someone could come to their surgery in two years saying 'why did you vote to make me £6,000 worse off than someone exactly the same, but who was protected because they were an existing claimant'? I hope they think carefully before the vote, because the vote will create that unfairness and divide in disabled people. Here is the agenda for the day. 10.30am: The high court will deliver its judgment on a legal challenge to the government's policy on arms exports to Israel brought by human rights groups. 11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing. 2.30pm: John Healey, the defence secretary, takes questions in the Commons. After 3.30pm: Liz Kendall, the work and pensions secretary, is expected to make a statement to MPs about the government concessions on the UC and Pip bill. If you want to contact me, please post a message below the line when comments are open (normally between 10am and 3pm at the moment), or message me on social media. I can't read all the messages BTL, but if you put 'Andrew' in a message aimed at me, I am more likely to see it because I search for posts containing that word. If you want to flag something up urgently, it is best to use social media. You can reach me on Bluesky at @ The Guardian has given up posting from its official accounts on X, but individual Guardian journalists are there, I still have my account, and if you message me there at @AndrewSparrow, I will see it and respond if necessary. I find it very helpful when readers point out mistakes, even minor typos. No error is too small to correct. And I find your questions very interesting too. I can't promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either BTL or sometimes in the blog.
