MPs back watered-down welfare reforms after 11th-hour Labour Government U-turn
Keir Starmer avoided a major rebellion in the House of Commons after he drastically watered down his welfare reforms at the 11th-hour.
MPs backed the disability benefit changes by 335 votes to 260 after the UK Government U-turned on its the main part of its plans.
DWP minister Stephen Timms announced just 90 minutes before the vote that it would delay plans to limit who is eligible for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) until after a review. The change had been due to come into force in November 2026.
The late concession came as the Government faced a possible defeat in the House of Commons.
It followed a partial U-turn last week where the Government announced the changes to PIP would only apply to new claimants and rowed back on plans to cut the health-related element of Universal Credit.
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn mocked the Prime Minister on social media after the second U-turn.
Flynn posted on X: "Thought he was going to end the chaos?"
Some 39 Labour MPs - including two Scots - had signed an amendment which would have seen the Bill fall at its first hurdle in the Commons. MPs voted against it by 328 votes to 149.
But four Scottish Labour MPs voted to kill the bill at this stage. These were Irene Campbell, Tracy Gilbert, Brian Leishman and Euan Stainbank.
A previous effort to kill the Bill had attracted more than 120 Labour supporters - including a dozen Scottish MPs.
It was shelved after the partial U-turn last week.
The bill will now go through a committee before returning to the Commons for another vote next week.
Timms announced the last minute concession in the Commons as MPs debated the bill on Tuesday evening..
He acknowledged 'concerns that the changes to PIP are coming ahead of the conclusions of the review of the assessment that I will be leading'.
He said the Government would now 'only make changes to PIP eligibility activities and descriptors following that review', which is due to conclude in the autumn of 2026.
Most Scots on disability benefits are on the devolved Adult Disability Payment (ADP), rather than PIP.
The Scottish Government has said it will not cut ADP.
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