Latest news with #LabourRebellion
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Around half of Labour welfare rebels have majorities smaller than the number of benefit claimaints in their constituencies
Around half of Labour MPs who are planning to rebel over welfare cuts have majorities smaller than the number of benefit claimants in their constituencies. Sir Keir Starmer faces the biggest rebellion of his premiership next week after more than 125 Labour MPs publicly declared they will vote against flagship legislation. They have vowed to oppose the second reading of the Government's welfare bill in the House of Commons, as the PM seeks to save £5billion in benefits spending. The Labour MPs are furious at planned changes that would restrict access to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and cut the health element of Universal Credit. It has been estimated that 800,000 people will be denied the 'daily living' component of PIP - the main disability benefit - by 2029/30 due to a tightening of rules. This includes even if they struggle to wash or dress below the waist. An analysis shows, of 114 Labour rebels from constituencies in England and Wales, 63 hold majorities smaller than the number of PIP claimaints in their local areas. For example, Debbie Abrahams - one of the rebel ringleaders - won her Oldham East and Saddleworth seat with a 6,357-vote majority at last July's general election. As of April this year, there were a total of 8,392 PIP claimants in her constituency. Paulette Hamilton, the Birmingham Erdington MP and another leading rebel, has 11,899 PIP recipients in the constituency she won with a 7,019-vote majority. It suggests, despite No10's efforts to get them to back down, Labour rebels might be unwilling to do so due to their fears of infuriating local voters. Voters' at the axing of winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners - which Sir Keir has since partially U-turned on - was blamed for Labour's poor local election results last month. Large numbers of Labour MPs are also worried about Reform UK's surge in popularity since the general election. Polls show many now appear to be at risk of losing their seats to Nigel Farage's party. A huge YouGov survey showed, if a general election were held today, Reform would see a stunning rise from five MPs to 271. At the same time, Labour would drop from the 403 MPs it currently has to just 178. The Tories would plummet to just 46 MPs, making them the fourth-biggest party well behind the Liberal Democrats on 81. Sir Keir is holding talks with Labour rebels over concessions to save the Government's welfare reform package. The PM told the House of Commons on Thursday he wanted the reforms to demonstrate 'Labour values of fairness'. He told MPs there was 'consensus across the House on the urgent need for reform' of the 'broken' welfare system. 'I know colleagues across the House are eager to start fixing that, and so am I, and that all colleagues want to get this right, and so do I,' he said. 'We want to see reform implemented with Labour values of fairness. 'That conversation will continue in the coming days, so we can begin making change together on Tuesday.' The Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill has its second reading on Tuesday, the first opportunity for MPs to vote on it. If the legislation clears its first hurdle, it will then face a few hours' examination by all MPs the following week – rather than days or weeks in front of a committee tasked with looking at the bill – with a plan for it to clear the Commons a little over a week later on July 9. Ministers have said they will listen to suggestions to improve the legislation, but opposition appears entrenched and the swift timetable for the bill could add to critics' concerns. Who are the Labour rebels? Meg Hillier Debbie Abrahams Helen Hayes Sarah Owen Florence Eshalomi Paulette Hamilton Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi Cat Smith Ruth Cadbury Patricia Ferguson Ruth Jones Louise Haigh Vicky Foxcroft Olivia Blake Anneliese Midgley Antonia Bance Laurence Turner Anna Dixon Dawn Butler Yuan Yang Richard Baker Kirsteen Sullivan Lee Barron Jonathan Brash Stella Creasy Ben Coleman Clive Betts Matt Bishop Sadik Al-Hassan Abtisam Mohamed Lee Pitcher Lauren Edwards Tony Vaughan Connor Naismith Matt Western Paul Davies Charlotte Nichols Kate Osamor Chris Webb Josh Fenton-Glynn Sarah Hall Scott Arthur Tracy Gilbert Gill Furniss Dr Beccy Cooper Adam Jogee Maya Ellis Alison Hume Daniel Francis Jo Platt Patrick Hurley Kirith Entwistle Henry Tufnell Darren Paffey Yasmin Qureshi Mohammad Yasin Peter Lamb Elaine Stewart Allison Gardner Lillian Jones Marsha De Cordova Kevin McKenna Clive Efford Lizzi Collinge Melanie Onn Andrew Cooper Fabian Hamilton Polly Billington David Williams Richard Quigley Marie Rimmer Sam Rushworth Rosena Allin-Khan Emma Lewell Richard Burgon Kate Osborne Rachael Maskell Amanda Hack Rebecca Long Bailey Bell Ribeiro-Addy Paula Barker Cat Eccles Jon Trickett Simon Opher Ian Lavery Neil Duncan-Jordan Chris Hinchliff Ian Byrne Nadia Whittome Diane Abbott Kim Johnson Andy McDonald Brian Leishman Imran Hussain Euan Stainbank Lorraine Beavers Steve Witherden Mary Kelly Foy Clive Lewis Jen Craft James Naish Terry Jermy Grahame Morris Navendu Mishra Jenny Riddell-Carpenter Tahir Ali Dave Robertson Josh Newbury Paul Foster Andrew Ranger Danny Beales Luke Myer Margaret Mullane Naz Shah Josh Dean Martin Rhodes Afzal Khan Maureen Burke Chris Evans Alex Sobel Irene Campbell Gareth Snell Mary Glindon Sarah Edwards Pam Cox Toby Perkins
The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
No 10 fails to rule out tax rises to pay for Starmer's welfare reform climbdown
Downing Street has failed to rule out tax rises to pay for a potential U-turn on Sir Keir Starmer's £5bn welfare reform as the prime minister remains locked in crisis talks to stave off a Labour rebellion. Sir Keir is considering concessions in a bid to save his benefit cuts after more than 120 Labour MPs signed an amendment that would effectively kill them off. But there are growing questions over how a climbdown would be funded. Asked whether the government accepts it would be forced to hike taxes, the prime minister's official spokesperson said ministers wanted to get the changes 'right', adding that the chancellor would take tax decisions 'in the round in the future'. The row comes as top economists warned that failing to pass the reforms would wipe out the chancellor's financial headroom ahead of her Budget this autumn, meaning hike taxes or cuts to spending elsewhere would be needed to plug a black hole. Sir Keir doubled down on the need for the reforms on Thursday, warning benefits claimants were 'failed every single day' by a 'broken system' but admitted Labour MPs want to see 'reform implemented with Labour values of fairness'. However, rebels told The Independent that any concessions would have to be wide-ranging if they were to be accepted. Currently, the plans set to be voted on on Tuesday restrict eligibility for Personal Independence Payments (PIP), the main disability payment in England, and limit the sickness-related element of universal credit (UC). The government hopes the changes will get more people back into work and save up to £5bn a year. Existing claimants will be given a 13-week phase-out period of financial support, a move which had been seen as a bid to head off opposition by softening the impact of the changes, before this week's revolt erupted. The rebellion comes at a time when Labour MPs are growing increasingly critical of the prime minister's attendance in the Commons, with him having voted less in his first year so far than any of his predecessors up to Sir Tony Blair - while forcing his backbenchers into the Commons to take part in tough votes. Labour MP Rachael Maskell, formerly a member of the Commons Health and Social Care committee, told The Independent the government would have to agree to a multitude of changes if they were to win back support. She said: '[ministers would need to] ... agree a consultation with disabled people, they would need to end cuts to PIP without first replacing this with a fairer system and they would need to not cut Universal Credit, as this still leaves disabled people worse off, as they have significantly higher living costs. Scope has evaluated this to be over £1,000 a month.' Another Labour MP said the only solution the government could offer was to pull the bill in its entirety, and warned that MPs were unlikely to accept much less. "I'm not going to support anything that will put disabled people into hardship,' they said. 'The government have just not been listening. It didn't need to get this far and the fact that it has is just pretty tin-eared to be honest. 'No 10 sees MPs as irritants and fodder. The disrespect that comes out of there... We're all working hard and this is how they treat us. It goes back to the point about how arrogant and out of touch and arrogant they are." Another Labour MP said parts of the plans were 'unacceptable' and called for 'investment first', to get people access to mental health professionals or off UC and into work, before the cuts were implemented. Meanwhile, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) think tank warned that without passing the reforms, Chancellor Rachel Reeves would be forced to raise taxes or cut other spending to meet her self-imposed borrowing rules. Senior economist Ben Caswell said: 'More considered policy could help reduce political churn and the associated economic cost, particularly when consumer and business confidence is already low.' But Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar was optimistic the welfare bill would look different by Tuesday's vote, as a third of all Scottish Labour MPs are backing the rebel amendment. Mr Sarwar told the Holyrood Sources podcast: "The bill's not going to look the same... Legitimate concerns should be addressed... We have to support the principle of the reform." Earlier, trade minister Douglas Alexander claimed that both ministers and the rebels agree that 'welfare needs reform and that the system is broken' and that the disagreement was over the 'implementation to those principles'. Asked about concessions, the deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, sought to reassure backbenchers that they would not be expected to betray Labour's traditional values. "I haven't changed my Labour values and we're not expecting our benches to do anything that isn't in check with them,' she said in an interview on ITV's Peston programme. "What we want to do is support people, and that is the crucial bit around these reforms of what Labour are trying to achieve, and we're discussing that with our MPs."
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Vote on Keir Starmer's disability cuts Bill faces major challenge from Labour rebels
Britain's prime minister Keir Starmer next week faces the biggest test of his authority since winning last July's election, as his government tries to steer through deep cuts to disability benefits in the face of a growing backbench rebellion. MPs are due to vote next Tuesday on a Bill to save £5 billion (€5.86 billion) by cutting eligibility for personal independence payments (Pip), which are top-up benefits for disabled people. More than 120 Labour rebels, however, have put forward an amendment that would kill the Bill. If the Labour rebels vote against the Bill next week and all the main opposition parties also vote against the government's proposals, Starmer faces the prospect of a humiliating defeat in the House of Commons , despite Labour's 165-seat majority. That would seriously weaken his standing as leader of party and country. Senior Labour figures have been frantically trying to win rebels around in recent days. The Irish Times has seen messages sent by senior Labour figures to some of the rebels, criticising them for undermining the government. READ MORE Downing Street argues that ballooning Pip payments act as a disincentive for some people to work, and says the 'moral and progressive' thing to do is to reform the system. The overall cost of Pip has doubled since the pandemic, while the UK's overall disability and sickness benefits bill has risen by £20 billion to £80 billion. [ 'What's the point of Labour?' Starmer in backlash over £5bn in benefits cuts Opens in new window ] Starmer, who was in The Hague on Wednesday at a summit of the Nato military alliance, said up to 1,000 new people per day were moving on to Pip, the equivalent of the population of the city of Leicester over a year. 'It traps people and it has to be reformed,' he said. The issue has forced a showdown with the left wing of his party, as well as other more centrist MPs who fear the loss of Pip payments will hurt their constituents. The government's impact assessment acknowledges the changes would push 250,000 people into relative poverty. The rebels have put forward a 'reasoned amendment' to the Bill that would effectively end it at second reading on Tuesday, a blunt tactic. Its deployment is being seen as a sign of the government's dislocation from MPs who represent Labour's working class heartlands, as well as political naivety in Starmer's Downing Street operation. The amendment, which would have to be called by the speaker Lindsay Hoyle on Tuesday, has been signed by more than 120 MPs, including about 13 committee chairs. 'The government needs to think again,' said Anneliese Midgley, the MP for Knowsley in Merseyside and a leading rebel. She was previously deputy chief of staff for former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. 'The proposals are rushed. They will financially penalise disabled people and risk pushing some people away from work,' she said. Other rebels include Louise Haigh, the former transport secretary who was forced to resign by Downing Street last November over an old conviction. [ 'Absolute fear': UK's planned benefit cuts alarm vulnerable people in Northern Ireland Opens in new window ] But as well as left-wing standard bearers not close to Starmer, such as John McDonnell and Diane Abbott, the list also includes younger, ambitious MPs not expected to rebel, such as Adam Jogee. Meg Hillier, chair of the Treasury select committee, is one of the leaders of the rebel group. Downing Street now faces the choice of pulling next Tuesday's vote, which so far it has insisted it will not do, or negotiating with the rebels to water down the original proposals to restrict Pip. Alternatively, Starmer could try the politically risky move of calling the rebels' bluff, or the government could even try to win the vote with backing from the opposition – another politically unpalatable prospect.
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Andy Burnham joins rebellion over benefit cuts
Andy Burnham has joined Labour rebels to call on Sir Keir Starmer to pause his welfare cuts. The Mayor for Greater Manchester threw his support behind Labour MPs and Sir Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, who were openly rebelling against cuts to disability benefits. Mr Burnham, a former Labour leadership contender, told BBC Newsnight: 'If I look back, if the government that I was in had listened to the PLP [Parliamentary Labour Party], it would have been a better government, because it would have made better decisions. And I think this is a case in point here. 'It's not about doing something just to get on at the Government. Not at all. We all want the Government to succeed. But the Government needs, I think, to take a more unifying path. And on this issue, it should pause, it should get back around the table.' There is widespread speculation that the Government will be forced to delay the reforms, which would save the Treasury about £5 billion a year. But on Wednesday morning, Sir Keir doubled down on his insistence that the vote on Tuesday will go ahead, despite the rebellion growing even amid intense lobbying efforts from the Labour whips. The number of Labour MPs who have signed an amendment effectively killing off the package now stands at 123 – more than a quarter of the total of Labour MPs. That figure is far beyond what is needed in theory to overturn Sir Keir's large majority in the House of Commons and force the first defeat on this Labour Government as it approaches its first anniversary. Sir Keir told LBC in an interview broadcast on Wednesday morning: 'There'll be a vote on Tuesday, and we're going to make sure that we reform the welfare system.' Sir Stephen Timms, the minister for social security and disability, also insisted on Wednesday morning that the vote would go ahead as planned next week. Labour is tabling legislation to bring into force its plan to raise the threshold at which the personal independence payment (PIP), which helps with the extra living costs from having a disability, kicks in. The legislation also halves the health top-up in Universal Credit for new claimants from 2026. Government insiders were caught off guard on Monday when 108 Labour MPs put their names to a so-called reasoned amendment calling for the measures to be delayed. If the amendment is voted through on Tuesday, the legislation does not progress. Sir Stephen has insisted the Government wants to go even further with its benefit reforms, despite Labour rebels attempting to kill off the plans. The disabilities minister told the work and pensions committee he would look to change the assessment process for PIPs in the years to come. Asked whether the PIP assessment would be 'refocused' in the future, Sir Stephen said: 'There may well be some changes that we want to make in the short term, but there are also some conversations I'd like us to have about how the assessment for this benefit may look in the long-term.' Asked how he would feel about having to rely on the Conservatives to force the legislation through, Sir Stephen said: 'I'd be delighted to have support from across the entire House for the excellent proposals that we're bringing forward.' Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader, has said that she will instruct her MPs to vote for the benefit changes – but only if Sir Keir can commit to reducing the overall welfare bill. Cabinet ministers have been deployed to try to talk down the rebels, but the number of Labour MPs signing the amendment has jumped to 123 on Tuesday night. Some rebels are signalling they are prepared to vote down the welfare cuts package even if it means being kicked out of the Parliamentary Labour Party. Cat Eccles, the Labour MP for Stourbridge elected last year, replied 'yes' when asked on Times Radio if she was willing to lose the whip by voting down the Bill. Sir Sadiq, who as London Mayor is one of the most prominent elected figures in the Labour Party, spoke out against the welfare cuts on Tuesday. He told the Guardian: 'I have always said that more must be done to support people to go from relying on benefits to getting back into work. It's vital for a healthy and prosperous London. 'What we can't do is take away the vital safety net that so many vulnerable and disabled Londoners rely upon.'
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Rayner takes PMQs amid Labour welfare revolt
Angela Rayner is set to stand in for Sir Keir Starmer at Prime Minister's Questions as the Government scrambles to defuse an unprecedented Labour rebellion over proposed benefit cuts. Ms Rayner will represent the Government at PMQs for the second week in a row because Sir Keir is attending a Nato summit in The Hague. The Deputy Prime Minister is likely to face a grilling over increasingly unpopular plans to cut welfare spending by £5 billion. More than 120 Labour MPs have now signed an amendment to the welfare Bill calling for it to be rejected in a direct challenge to Sir Keir's authority. MPs are due to vote on the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Bill for the first time on Tuesday next week and if the amendment is selected and agreed it would kill the flagship legislation. Sir Keir has declared he will 'press on' with next week's vote, with ministers now desperately trying to persuade the rebels to back down. The revolt represents a political gift for the Tories and whoever stands in for Kemi Badenoch at PMQs will be hopeful of inflicting some major damage on the Government.
