Latest news with #welfareBill
North Wales Chronicle
8 hours ago
- Business
- North Wales Chronicle
Starmer must meet Tory conditions if he wants us to back Welfare Bill
The Tory leader said the Bill does not cut down welfare spending enough or go far enough to get people back to work and called for the Prime Minister to promise no new taxes would be announced in the autumn. Ministers have said the reforms could save up to £5 billion a year. Sir Keir has said he will 'press on' with the legislation despite the prospect of a major revolt when the welfare Bill comes before the Commons in a vote set for July 1. More than 100 backbenchers – enough to threaten the Prime Minister's majority – have signed an amendment designed to halt the changes. The Tory leader said Labour's MPs are in 'open rebellion' and set out conditions for her party's MPs to back the bill. 'The Government is in a mess, their MPs are in open rebellion. If Keir Starmer wants our support, he needs to meet three conditions that align with our core Conservative principles,' she said. 'The first condition is that the welfare budget is too high, it needs to come down. This Bill does not do that. 'The second condition is that we need to get people back into work. Unemployment is rising, jobs are disappearing, and even the Government's own impact assessments say that the package in this Bill will not get people back to work. 'The third is that we want to see no new tax rises in the autumn. We can't have new tax rises to pay for the increases in welfare and other Government spending. 'We are acting in the national interest to make the changes the country needs. 'And if Keir Starmer wants us to help him get this Bill through, then he must commit to these three conditions at the dispatch box.' A Labour spokesperson said that they are 'prepared to take on the challenges holding the UK back'. 'We're fixing the abysmal mess the Tories left behind, and MPs can either vote to keep a broken failed welfare system that writes people off, or they can vote to start fixing it,' the spokesperson said.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
More Labour MPs signal rebellion against Government over welfare reforms
More Labour MPs have signalled they are willing to rebel over the Government's welfare cuts after Sir Keir Starmer declared he would 'press on' with next week's vote. Overall, 134 MPs are now backing an amendment that would effectively threaten the Government's proposed changes, an Order Paper published by Parliament late on Wednesday indicated. Among the new signatories on Tuesday night from Sir Keir's party were Leeds Central and Headingley MP Alex Sobel, as well as Danny Beales who represents Uxbridge and South Ruislip. Hertford and Stortford MP Josh Dean and Bradford West MP Naz Shah are also among the new Labour signatories, taking the total rebels from Sir Keir's party to about 120. A number of MPs from Northern Irish parties have also backed the amendment, as well as former Labour MPs who currently sit as independents in the Commons, including former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, and Rosie Duffield who resigned the Labour whip last year. Further MPs are thought to be supportive of the motion, but have not signed. The Government is faced with the prospect of a major revolt when the welfare Bill comes before the Commons in a vote set for July 1. It comes as the social security minister is set to take questions from a committee of MPs on Wednesday on the Government's reforms. On Wednesday, Sir Stephen Timms will take questions from the Work and Pensions Committee, which is chaired by one of the Labour signatories to the amendment, Debbie Abrahams. Speaking on Tuesday from The Hague, where he is attending the Nato summit, Sir Keir said that a vote on the reforms are 'not a confidence vote' but are about 'reforming' the system. Asked if he would offer concessions to placate MPs unhappy with the reforms, he told Sky News: 'We're pressing on with a vote on this because we need to bring about reform.' Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham added his voice to the senior figures calling on the Government to reconsider. He told BBC Newsnight: 'When the PLP (Parliamentary Labour Party) delivers its collective wisdom in such numbers, it is invariably right. And it is right on this. 'I would say to the Government, listen to the PLP.' His comments came after his London counterpart, Sir Sadiq Khan, said that ministers 'must urgently think again' about the plans. Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall, who has already taken steps to soften the impact of the welfare Bill, has been locked in talks with backbenchers as she seeks to win over those opposed to the plans. Meanwhile, Kemi Badenoch said the Tories would lend the Government votes but only if Labour rules out tax rises in the autumn budget as well as reducing unemployment and lowering the welfare budget. Tory leader Mrs Badenoch said her party would offer support for the Bill but on the condition that the Government agree to take steps that 'align with our core Conservative principles'. She claimed the welfare budget would need to be slashed further, unemployment would need to come down and 'no new tax rises in the autumn'. Under the proposals in the Bill, eligibility for the personal independence payment (Pip), the main disability payment in England, will be limited along with the sickness-related element of universal credit (UC). However, the legislation published last week will give existing claimants a 13-week phase-out period of financial support, in what was seen as a bid to head off opposition. Ministers have previously said the reforms could save up to £5 billion-a-year.
ITV News
10 hours ago
- Politics
- ITV News
More Labour MPs signal rebellion against Government over welfare reforms
More Labour MPs have signalled they are willing to rebel over the Government's welfare cuts after Sir Keir Starmer declared he would 'press on' with next week's vote. Overall, 134 MPs are now backing an amendment that would effectively threaten the Government's proposed changes, an Order Paper published by Parliament late on Wednesday indicated. Among the new signatories on Tuesday night from Sir Keir's party were Leeds Central and Headingley MP Alex Sobel, as well as Danny Beales who represents Uxbridge and South Ruislip. Hertford and Stortford MP Josh Dean and Bradford West MP Naz Shah are also among the new Labour signatories, taking the total rebels from Sir Keir's party to about 120. When the PLP delivers its collective wisdom in such numbers, it is invariably right. And it is right on this. Andy Burnham, Greater Manchester mayor A number of MPs from Northern Irish parties have also backed the amendment, as well as former Labour MPs who currently sit as independents in the Commons, including former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, and Rosie Duffield who resigned the Labour whip last year. Further MPs are thought to be supportive of the motion, but have not signed. The Government is faced with the prospect of a major revolt when the welfare Bill comes before the Commons in a vote set for July 1. It comes as the social security minister is set to take questions from a committee of MPs on Wednesday on the Government's reforms. On Wednesday, Sir Stephen Timms will take questions from the Work and Pensions Committee, which is chaired by one of the Labour signatories to the amendment, Debbie Abrahams. Speaking on Tuesday from The Hague, where he is attending the Nato summit, Sir Keir said that a vote on the reforms are 'not a confidence vote' but are about 'reforming' the system. Asked if he would offer concessions to placate MPs unhappy with the reforms, he told Sky News: 'We're pressing on with a vote on this because we need to bring about reform.' Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham added his voice to the senior figures calling on the Government to reconsider. He told BBC Newsnight: 'When the PLP (Parliamentary Labour Party) delivers its collective wisdom in such numbers, it is invariably right. And it is right on this. 'I would say to the Government, listen to the PLP.' His comments came after his London counterpart, Sir Sadiq Khan, said that ministers 'must urgently think again' about the plans. Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall, who has already taken steps to soften the impact of the welfare Bill, has been locked in talks with backbenchers as she seeks to win over those opposed to the plans. Meanwhile, Kemi Badenoch said the Tories would lend the Government votes but only if Labour rules out tax rises in the autumn budget as well as reducing unemployment and lowering the welfare budget. Tory leader Mrs Badenoch said her party would offer support for the Bill but on the condition that the Government agree to take steps that 'align with our core Conservative principles'. She claimed the welfare budget would need to be slashed further, unemployment would need to come down and 'no new tax rises in the autumn'. Under the proposals in the Bill, eligibility for the personal independence payment (Pip), the main disability payment in England, will be limited along with the sickness-related element of universal credit (UC). However, the legislation published last week will give existing claimants a 13-week phase-out period of financial support, in what was seen as a bid to head off opposition.
South Wales Guardian
14 hours ago
- Business
- South Wales Guardian
Welfare rebellion not a confidence vote, PM says as he remains defiant over cuts
Some 108 backbenchers have signed an amendment that would halt the Government's proposed changes – enough to threaten the Prime Minister's majority. But Sir Keir said on Tuesday he would 'press on' despite the prospect of a major revolt when the welfare Bill comes before the Commons in a vote set for July 1. Meanwhile, Kemi Badenoch said the Tories would lend the Government votes but only if Labour rules out tax rises in the autumn budget as well as reducing unemployment and lowering the welfare budget. Speaking in the Hague, where he is attending the Nato summit with toher world leaders, Sir Keir told reporters there was a 'clear moral case' for reforming the system. 'It's not a confidence vote. It's a vote about reforming our welfare system,' he told Sky News. 'It isn't working. It doesn't help people into work. Quite the contrary, it actually makes it harder for people to go into work. I think most colleagues do accept the case for reform, we've got to get on and make that reform.' The amendment was published on Tuesday's order paper and calls for a pause allowing for further scrutiny of the Bill and for support to be in place before any further cuts are made. The size of the revolt is enough to defeat the Government's plans if opposition MPs sided with rebels. Tory leader Mrs Badenoch said her party would offer support for the Bill but on the condition that the Government agree to take steps that 'align with our core Conservative principles'. She claimed the welfare budget would need to be slashed further, unemployment would need to come down and 'no new tax rises in the autumn'. Asked whether he would consider pausing his plans in light of the rebellion, the Prime Minister told reporters travelling with him to the Netherlands: 'We were elected to change what is broken in our country. 'The welfare system is broken and that's why we will press ahead with our reforms.' Today, I have co-signed an amendment with over 100 of my colleagues that would stop the welfare reform proposals from becoming law. I want to be clear this is not a decision I have taken lightly. In eight years as a councillor and almost a year as an MP, I have not broken the… — Josh Fenton-Glynn MP (@JoshFG) June 24, 2025 Sir Keir said: 'The additions to Pip each year are the equivalent of the population of a city the size of Leicester. 'That's not a system that can be left unreformed, not least because it's unsustainable and therefore you won't have a welfare system for those that need it in the future.' The Prime Minister earlier told his Cabinet 'we will reform welfare' because the Government must take 'hard, honest choices,' according to Downing Street, which declined to say whether any minister had expressed concern over the Bill. The Cabinet 'collectively' supports the Government's agenda, a Number 10 spokesman said. Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall, who has already taken steps to soften the impact of the welfare Bill, is locked in talks with backbenchers as she seeks to win over those opposed to the plans. Several Labour select committee chairs were among those who put their name to the amendment, including Treasury committee chairwoman Dame Meg Hillier and work and pensions committee chairwoman Debbie Abrahams. Vicky Foxcroft, the former Government whip who resigned over the welfare plans, has also signed, while Labour London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan added pressure by coming out against the plans on Tuesday afternoon. The mayor said: 'Having looked at the analysis of the Government's plans, the impact on London will be substantial, and for too many disabled Londoners it will destroy their financial safety net. 'The Government must urgently think again.' (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 Under the proposals in the Bill, eligibility for the personal independence payment (Pip), the main disability payment in England, will be limited along with the sickness-related element of universal credit (UC). However, the legislation published last week will give existing claimants a 13-week phase-out period of financial support, in what was seen as a bid to head off opposition. Ministers have previously said the reforms could save up to £5 billion-a-year. Downing Street declined to explicitly rule out offering further concessions when asked on Tuesday what would be done to reassure uneasy backbenchers before a vote scheduled for next week. 'We'll talk to them over the next week but the Government believes this is a good package of reforms,' a Number 10 spokesman said. 'We hope that colleagues will engage positively over the next few days.' Number 10 said the Government recognised the 'strength of feeling' surrounding the issue but rejected suggestions the plans were 'dead on arrival'. It refused to say whether it was confident that the Bill would make its way through Parliament when asked by reporters on Tuesday. 'We are focused on delivering last week's Bill and engaging, talking to colleagues … as to why this reform is so important,' the spokesman said.
South Wales Argus
15 hours ago
- Business
- South Wales Argus
Starmer must meet Tory conditions if he wants us to back Welfare Bill
The Tory leader said the Bill does not cut down welfare spending enough or go far enough to get people back to work and called for the Prime Minister to promise no new taxes would be announced in the autumn. Ministers have said the reforms could save up to £5 billion a year. Sir Keir has said he will 'press on' with the legislation despite the prospect of a major revolt when the welfare Bill comes before the Commons in a vote set for July 1. More than 100 backbenchers – enough to threaten the Prime Minister's majority – have signed an amendment designed to halt the changes. The Tory leader said Labour's MPs are in 'open rebellion' and set out conditions for her party's MPs to back the bill. 'The Government is in a mess, their MPs are in open rebellion. If Keir Starmer wants our support, he needs to meet three conditions that align with our core Conservative principles,' she said. 'The first condition is that the welfare budget is too high, it needs to come down. This Bill does not do that. 'The second condition is that we need to get people back into work. Unemployment is rising, jobs are disappearing, and even the Government's own impact assessments say that the package in this Bill will not get people back to work. 'The third is that we want to see no new tax rises in the autumn. We can't have new tax rises to pay for the increases in welfare and other Government spending. 'We are acting in the national interest to make the changes the country needs. 'And if Keir Starmer wants us to help him get this Bill through, then he must commit to these three conditions at the dispatch box.' A Labour spokesperson said that they are 'prepared to take on the challenges holding the UK back'. 'We're fixing the abysmal mess the Tories left behind, and MPs can either vote to keep a broken failed welfare system that writes people off, or they can vote to start fixing it,' the spokesperson said.
