SARAH VINE: Keir Starmer is a dishonourable, moral coward who openly loathes this country... and I've worked out the only thing he REALLY cares about
The opposition from the Left of the party had been incessant, aided and abetted by the usual interested parties and the handwringing liberal press.
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Powys County Times
5 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Scottish government minister says UK welfare reforms should be abandoned
The UK Government must abandon its 'unfair' welfare reforms in the wake of its late climbdown on a key plank of the proposals, Scotland's Social Justice Secretary has said. Shirley-Anne Somerville was commenting after the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill passed its first legislative hurdle at Westminster. Ahead of the crunch vote, Sir Keir Starmer ditched a mainstay of his welfare reform agenda as he battled to get the draft laws through the House of Commons. In a major concession as MPs prepared to vote, the Prime Minister shelved plans to restrict eligibility for the personal independence payment (Pip), with any changes now only coming after a review of the benefit. Under Scotland's devolved social security system, Pip is currently being replaced by the Adult Disability Payment. Reacting to events at Westminster, Ms Somerville reiterated the Scottish Government's pledge not to cut that benefit. 'Despite the panicked, last-minute concessions they have made, if the UK Government presses ahead with cuts to disability support they will plunge more people into poverty,' said the SNP MSP. 'That is unconscionable. 'Their approach also risks creating a deeply unfair two-tier system, pushing the impact of cuts onto future applicants for disability benefits. 'The UK Government needs to stop balancing the books on the backs of some of the most vulnerable people in society. 'They need to properly listen to the overwhelming criticism their proposals have generated and do the right thing by disabled people by abandoning this bill entirely. 'I want to reassure disabled people in Scotland, that the Scottish Government will not cut Scotland's Adult Disability Payment, we will not let disabled people down as the UK Government has done.' The decision to remove the Pip changes from the Bill was announced just 90 minutes before MPs voted. The legislation passed by 335 votes to 260, majority 75.
The Independent
13 minutes ago
- The Independent
The welfare reform vote: All you need to know
MPs have backed a Government proposal to reform welfare payments for sick and disabled people, but only after significant concessions saw much of Sir Keir Starmer's plan abandoned. Below, the PA news agency looks at what happened, what it means for personal independence payment (Pip) and universal credit, and what might come next. – What have MPs agreed to? MPs voted on Tuesday to allow the Government's Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill to advance to the next stage in becoming law. Some 126 Labour backbenchers had previously threatened to vote against the legislation, enough to block its passage through the Commons, but in the end only 49 did so. But ministers were forced to offer a series of concessions to persuade the rebels to back the Government. – What concessions did the Government make? Last week, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall announced a partial U-turn aimed at heading off the rebellion that included three key points. Firstly, changes to Pip eligibility would only come into effect in November 2026, and anyone claiming the benefit before that date would not be subject to the new rules, instead of imposing the changes on everyone. Secondly, people claiming the health element of universal credit, and new claimants with the most severe conditions, would see their incomes protected in real terms. Thirdly, disabilities minister Sir Stephen Timms would conduct a review of the Pip assessment, 'co-produced' with disabled people. But during Tuesday's debate, Sir Stephen offered a further concession, saying any changes to Pip eligibility would only be introduced after his review had concluded, further delaying them. – What do the concessions mean for the Government's proposals? The decision to push back Pip changes to an unspecified date, and leave uncertain the details of what those changes will be, removes a major part of the Government's reform plans. The proposed changes to universal credit remain, raising the standard allowance while halving the health element for most new claimants from April 2026. But the concessions will also pose a problem for Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who will need to find extra money now the expected savings from welfare reform are no longer expected to materialise. Indeed, the Resolution Foundation think tank suggested the concessions meant there would now be no 'net savings' from the reform by 2029/30, a key year for Ms Reeves' fiscal targets. – What happens next? The Government has pledged to make the necessary amendments to remove the Pip changes from the Bill when it returns to the Commons next week. It is then likely to continue through Parliament, becoming law after it has been approved by both MPs and peers. But wider questions remain for the Government. Not only does Ms Reeves face a fiscal headache, but the Prime Minister could face a political one too as he seeks to repair fractured relations with his backbenchers. And uncertainty will continue to surround the Government's plans for welfare reform. Ministers will still want to reduce the cost of the welfare bill and get more people back into work, while Sir Stephen's Pip review could result in another row depending on what it recommends.
The Herald Scotland
15 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Rayner to back plan to build 180,000 social homes in next decade
It forms part of a drive to build 300,000 new social and affordable properties by 2035, backed by a £39 billion investment announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in last month's spending review. Calling on the social housing sector to 'work together to turn the tide on the housing crisis together', the Deputy Prime Minister said the investment was 'the biggest boost to social and affordable housing in a generation'. She said: 'We are seizing this golden opportunity with both hands to transform this country by building the social and affordable homes we need, so we create a brighter future where families aren't trapped in temporary accommodation and young people are no longer locked out of a secure home.' But even the 180,000 new social homes set to be promised on Wednesday may not be enough to solve Britain's housing crisis. Housing charity Shelter has argued that the Government needs to build 90,000 new social homes a year for the next decade – five times the figure Ms Rayner has committed to. According to Shelter, building 90,000 social homes a year would clear waiting lists, which currently stand at around 1.3 million households, and end the use of temporary accommodation. Mairi MacRae, Shelter's director of campaigns, said the focus on social housing was 'a vital step in tackling the housing emergency and getting homelessness under control', but urged the Government to do more. She said: 'Now they must go further and ramp up building to 90,000 social rent homes a year – this means getting tough on developers, supporting councils to get building and having a clear, overall social rent target for all delivery.' Ms Rayner's target for social and affordable housing forms part of a wider long-term plan also due to be published on Wednesday, setting out how the Government both build more houses and improve housing standards. It is expected to include a commitment to implement minimum energy efficiency standards in the social housing sector for the first time and extend the decent homes standard to the private rental sector. The decent homes standard currently only applies to social homes, and includes requirements to keep properties in a reasonable state of repair, have reasonably modern facilities and be free of major hazards such as mould or asbestos. Currently, around a fifth of privately rented homes are thought not to meet the standard. Wednesday's plan will also include further reforms of the right to buy system intended to limit the amount of social housing that is sold off. Last year, the Government cut the discount available to social tenants looking to buy their homes under right to buy, and ministers have been consulting on further changes. Shadow housing secretary Kevin Hollinrake said: 'Conservatives actually delivered 700,000 new affordable homes when in office, but Angela Rayner can only manage a promise of 300,000. 'By slashing support for affordable home ownership and demanding more expensive social rent, Labour's approach will mean fewer new affordable homes can be delivered overall – and working people will suffer the consequences.'
