Latest news with #LabourReforms
Bloomberg
19 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Starmer's Welfare Overhaul Hangs in Balance Ahead of Key Vote
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is girding for what could be the most consequential vote of his premiership, with Labour rebels warning that the government's welfare overhaul still risks defeat despite huge concessions to push it through parliament. Starmer spent Monday trying to persuade skeptics in his left-leaning party to back a revised package of reforms to disability benefits that he says are necessary to slow the pace of Britain's ballooning welfare costs and get people back to work. Some of the party's Members of Parliament said they weren't satisfied by sweeping last-minute changes offered by the prime minister last week at an estimated cost of £3 billion ($4.1 billion) to the Treasury.
The Independent
19 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
The sound of silence for Liz Kendall was a big problem for Starmer beyond welfare reform
Sometimes a hushed Commons chambe r greets a statement of great significance - the death of a national figure, a resignation statement by a senior minister, war or a tragedy. But this was not the case for Liz Kendall whose statement to the House on last minute changes to her much criticised welfare bill was met with a prickly uncomfortable silence and barely an audible sound of approval from the Labour benches behind her. The work and pensions secretary had in essence been forced to come to the Commons a day early to outline her changes to the welfare bill made in desperation because more than 130 Labour MPs had signed an amendment which would kill it. In fairness to Ms Kendall she was in a much more ameliorant mood than she was when she first announced reforms to the benefits system back in March. The work and pensions secretary is leaning much more heavily on positive 'Labour measures' about supporting those unable to work or who need help getting back into work. It is a much better approach than her 'we need to save £5bn of savings' attempt when she first announced the reforms in March. Since then the threat of a massive rebellion has forced the government to change its tone. But the silence behind Ms Kendall on the Labour benches seems to suggest that she still has work to do to persuade her reluctant colleagues to support the reforms. The minister has been described by one colleague as 'the equivalent of putting the grim reaper in charge of a home for the elderly' in her role as the cabinet minister responsible for benefits. And her task was not helped at all by the government's own impact assessment, published just an hour before she got to her feet, that 150,000 people are likely to be plunged into poverty as a result of her plans. Admittedly this is not as bad as the 250,000 (including 50,000 children) who would have been hit under the unamended plans but it was not news that was ever going to quell a rebellion. Labour work and pensions committee chair Debbie Abrahams had signalled that the rebellion was still on in an interview on ITV News ahead of the statement. Things did not get better as Labour MP after Labour MP demanded that she postpone the legislation tomorrow. On the hottest day of the year it was clear that despite halving the much needed savings from £5bn to £2.5bn Ms Kendall and prime minister Sir Keir Starmer will have to continue to sweat tonight over what they may face in the voting lobby tomorrow. More than that though the whole episode in the chamber was symbolic of a Labour parliamentary party that appears to have run out of patience with its leader and being asked to support tough decisions many just think are plain cruel. Chopping disability benefits, creating a two tier welfare system, and taking away winter fuel payments are not reasons people become Labour MPs. Withdrawing the welfare bill or postponing the vote could prove to be a humiliation too far for the prime minister but a rebellion of 50 or more MPs will be extremely damaging too. The debate is set to continue on Tuesday with the second reading of the bill but Sir Keir will be hoping that the disgruntled silence gives way to cheers from Labour MPs soon if he wants to repair his tattered authority.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Labour's botched welfare cuts 'target the wrong people', with rising numbers still signed-off as too sick over the phone
Labour's welfare cuts were branded 'calamitous' yesterday for targeting the wrong people and failing to tackle root-and-branch reform. Sir Keir Starmer 's credibility has been left in tatters over the reforms, over which he climbed down at the eleventh hour last week to avoid defeat in a crunch vote tomorrow. He was forced to give £3billion worth of concessions by watering down cuts to disability benefits after 126 rebel MPs threatened to defeat the legislation. But senior Tories said Labour was still targeting the wrong people, and that the overhaul will not deliver fundamental structural change. This is, they say, because it does nothing to tackle rising numbers being signed off over the phone rather than in-person as too sick to work since the Covid-19 pandemic. There are also concerns about the plummeting number of reassessments, and assessors getting £80 bonuses for whittling through applications as it is often deemed quicker to sign off people as unfit to work. Yesterday Manchester mayor Andy Burnham called on Labour MPs to still vote against the Government's 'half a U-turn' welfare cuts tomorrow despite Sir Keir Starmer's climbdown. Many of Labour's reforms, which include reducing future support for people who claim money to help wash and dress themselves, were rushed through at the eleventh hour ahead of Chancellor Rachel Reeves's Budget last Autumn when it emerged her sums didn't add up. Yesterday, Health Secretary Wes Streeting admitted further concessions were on the cards. It came as analysis by the TaxPayers' Alliance campaign group found almost one in ten Britons now receive Personal Independence Payment (PIP) disability benefits in England and Wales, with more than a fifth of people receiving them in some areas. Esther McVey, a former Tory work and pensions secretary, said: 'The way they've gone about it is completely wrong. What they need to do is look at where there are weaknesses in the system which came about during start with youth unemployment. 'This was never about reform and support. This was to find £5billion for Rachel Reeves's catastrophic Budget. It is calamitous.' Under Sir Keir's U-turn, existing PIP claimants will keep their current level of disability payments. But new claimants after November 2026 would be entitled to up to £4,000 a year on average less, even if they suffered from the same condition meaning they couldn't work. Fifty MPs are expected to rebel by tabling a new amendment. But 83 MPs would be needed to defeat the reforms. Meanwhile, the Whitehall 'blob' at Angela Rayner's department will today start 'indefinite' industrial action in protest at being asked to not work from home so much. Housing Department staff and members of the Public and Commercial Services union will launch 'work to rule' disruption. Staff have previously complained about being asked to attend the office three days a week.
Times
21-05-2025
- Health
- Times
Benefits reform is like fight for women's equality, says Liz Kendall
The work and pensions secretary has told Labour rebels she will press ahead with contentious benefit cuts, likening her reforms to get the long-term sick back to work to the battle for women's equality. Liz Kendall said she was 'listening' to concerns raised by backbenchers, hinting she was open to concessions on the implementation of reforms. But she refused to back down on the principle of cost-cutting, saying Britain could not afford a system where one in ten working age adults is on at least one sickness benefits and spending is still rising. Kendall argued there was 'nothing Labour' about ducking what she described as an economic and social crisis, pointing out that sickness benefit spending has risen by £20 billion a year since the
The Independent
11-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Keir Starmer says migrants will have to ‘earn the right' to live in UK as part of new crackdown
Sir Keir Starmer has said those coming to the UK will have to 'earn the right' to stay as Labour unveils sweeping reforms designed to slash net migration and tackle the threat posed by Nigel Farage and Reform. The prime minister said migrants must commit to integration and learning English, as part of a crackdown ministers say will boost economic growth. In what the Labour leader claimed would be a 'clean break' from the past, the changes include a wait of 10 years, not five, to apply for permanent residency – unless they can prove a significant contribution – a ban on recruiting care workers from overseas and, for the first time, adult dependents will have to prove they understand basic English. No 10 said that as the number of migrants swelled to more than 900,000 a year in 2023 'public services were stretched, housing costs soared and employers swapped skills investment for cheap overseas labour'. Legal as well as illegal immigration featured heavily in the recent local elections, where Reform won 10 councils, almost 700 seats and took Runcorn and Helsby from Labour in a by-election. And on Sunday, the shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the last Conservative government made a 'catastrophic mistake' on immigration, leaving it 'far, far too high'. In a press conference on Monday, Sir Keir will say that for years a broken system has encouraged businesses 'to bring in lower-paid workers, rather than invest in our young people', pledging to replace it with one that is 'controlled, selective and fair'. He will say every area of the immigration system, including 'work, family and study', will be tightened up, while enforcement will be 'tougher than ever'. The new system will be 'one that recognises those who genuinely contribute to Britain's growth and society, while restoring common sense and control to our borders', he will say. 'This is a clean break from the past and will ensure settlement in this country is a privilege that must be earned, not a right.' People coming to the UK must 'commit to integration and to learning our language', he will add, insisting the clampdown will deliver lower net migration, higher skills and support British workers. No 10 said the changes would reduce reliance on overseas recruitment, prioritise contributors to the economy and put more money in people's pockets. Also included will be plans to deport more foreign criminals, tell employers they must train UK staff and require skilled workers entering Britain to have a degree. Employers looking for visas will have to show they are investing in British workers and raising skills, a move minsters say will boost economic growth. The Independent revealed at the weekend that, as part of the drive, David Lammy has ordered Foreign Office officials to ensure that tackling the migration crisis is on the agenda for every international summit and meeting. Under the new migration white paper, to be unveiled on Monday, it will take longer to be allowed to settle in the UK – 10 years instead of five – although those who can prove they have made a significant contribution to the country, such as nurses, doctors, engineers and AI leaders, will be fast-tracked. Ministers will also raise the language requirements and, for the first time, extend them to all adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of English. Reports suggest that visa applications from nationalities considered most likely to overstay and claim asylum could also be restricted. Even before they were officially unveiled, elements of the plans came under fire. Unison general secretary Christina McAnea said: 'The NHS and the care sector would have collapsed long ago without the thousands of workers who've come to the UK from overseas. 'Migrant health and care staff already here will now be understandably anxious about what's to happen to them. The government must reassure these overseas workers they'll be allowed to stay and continue with their indispensable work.' Reform UK's deputy leader also said it would use 'whatever levers' it can to challenge asylum hotels, as he claimed the party has a 'team of lawyers' working with it.
