Latest news with #RachaelMaskell
Sky News
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Labour welfare cuts 'Dickensian' and 'from another era', says rebel MP ahead of vote
The Labour MP leading the effort to defeat to the government's welfare bill has described her party's cuts as "Dickensian" and "from another era". Rachael Maskell, the Labour MP for York Central, urged her colleagues to vote against Sir Keir Starmer's bill, saying it was "far from what this Labour Party is for: a party to protect the poor". Ms Maskell is one of 39 Labour MPs who have signed an amendment to the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill, which, if passed, would halt its progress through parliament. The leading rebel urged her own side to vote the bill down when it is voted on later this evening. She warned that 600 people took their lives under the era of Tory austerity, adding: "The tragedy of this ideology could be worse." Thirty nine MPs have so far signed Ms Maskell's amendment despite the prime minister offering significant concessions on his original plans to avoid a damaging rebellion. The number is a significant drop from the 127 Labour MPs who last week signed a separate amendment that would have killed the legislation and delivered a severe blow to Sir Keir's authority if it passed. In an attempt to minimise the looming rebellion, the prime minister watered down his original welfare proposals to minimise the impact on existing claimants. On Monday, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall confirmed that all existing claimants of the personal independence payment (PIP), the main disability benefit, will be protected from changes to eligibility, which had been tightened under the original plan. The combined value of the standard Universal Credit allowance and the health top-up will rise "at least in line with inflation" every year of this parliament, while an additional £300m for employment support for sick and disabled people in 2026 has been announced, which will rise every year after. Ms Kendall also promised a consultation into PIP - "co-produced" with disabled people - will be published next autumn, which was a key demand of the rebels. Analysis by the government published yesterday revealed the new welfare offer would still push 150,000 more people into poverty by 2030 - down from the 250,000 estimated under the original plan. Ms Kendall said the U-turn on welfare cuts will cost taxpayers about £2.5bn by 2030 - less than half the £4.8bn the government had expected to save with its initial proposals. However, several Labour MPs indicated they would still vote against the bill, with some saying it would create a two-tier benefits system that treats existing claimants and new claimants differently. The fresh amendment signed by the 39 Labour MPs calls for the bill to be dropped over concerns that there has not been a proper, formal consultation with disabled people - and the additional employment support funding will not be in place until the end of the decade. It is up to Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the House of Commons Speaker, to decide whether to select the amendment when the bill is put to a crunch vote later today. Nadia Whittome, the Labour MP for Nottingham East and on the party's left, said the concessions "aren't enough". She told Sky News' Kamali Melbourne this morning: "I think it's very telling that not a single disabled people's organisation supports the bill, even since the concessions, there's a lot that we don't know about how that will work in practice. "But what we do know is that anybody scoring less than four points in any category in their PIP assessment will not be eligible for support - that includes people who need help cutting up food, need help dressing, washing below the waist. They will no longer be eligible for PIP in future. "By the government's own calculations, that could push 150,000 people into poverty... it's actually likely to be much higher." Sarah Owen, the Labour MP for Luton North and the chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, questioned whether a "three-tier" benefits system could be created, when taking into account the fact that a government review is being carried out into the PIP assessment system by minister Stephen Timms. 11:14 Speaking during the second reading Commons debate, Ms Kendall defended pressing on with welfare changes pending the outcome of the Timms review into the PIP assessment process. The review, which will look at the PIP assessment process and the criteria for being awarded PIP, will be published at roughly the same time as the changes come into force, from November 2026. Defending the timings, Ms Kendall told MPs the review was a "major undertaking that will take time to get right, especially if we co-produce it properly". She said any changes from the review "will be implemented as soon as is practicably possible", and that after any changes are made, existing PIP claimants will be able to ask for a reassessment.
The Independent
3 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Leading rebel Rachael Maskell chokes up sharing devastating impact of welfare cuts on disabled constituent
Showing now | News 02:15 Holly Bishop If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offer support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@ or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. Rachael Maskell became emotional whilst describing the impact of welfare cuts on her constituent on Tuesday (1 July). The Labour MP for York Central, who put forward a second amendment rejecting the Universal Credit and Personal Independent Payment Bill, said her disabled constituent told her that 'it would be better if he wasn't here'. The bill would see changes made to personal independence payment (Pip) and the health-related element of universal credit.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Watch live: MPs debate and vote on Labour's welfare bill
Watch live as MPs debate and vote on the Labour government's welfare bill in the House of Commons on Tuesday (1 July). The bill, which would see changes made to personal independence payment (Pip) and the health-related element of universal credit, is due to go to a crunch vote later this evening. Sir Keir Starmer is expected to face the biggest rebellion of his leadership after repeated warnings from Labour MPs that the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill could push people further into poverty. On Monday (30 June), in a bid to convince rebel MPs to back the changes, the prime minister watered down his original welfare plans to minimise the impact on existing claimants. However, despite the adjustments, 39 Labour MPs have backed a fresh bid to crush the legislation. Rachael Maskell, the Labour MP who tabled the latest amendment, said that 'the whole Bill is unravelling before us'. Last week, over 120 Labour MPs signed an amendment that would give them an opportunity to vote on a proposal to reject the welfare reform bill in its entirety. That amendment has since been withdrawn. MPs will debate the bill in the Commons from lunchtime before a vote is expected at 7pm.
The Independent
7 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Watch live: MPs debate and vote on Labour's welfare bill
Watch live as MPs debate and vote on the Labour government's welfare bill in the House of Commons on Tuesday (1 July). The bill, which would see changes made to personal independence payment (Pip) and the health-related element of universal credit, is due to go to a crunch vote later this evening. Sir Keir Starmer is expected to face the biggest rebellion of his leadership after repeated warnings from Labour MPs that the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill could push people further into poverty. On Monday (30 June), in a bid to convince rebel MPs to back the changes, the prime minister watered down his original welfare plans to minimise the impact on existing claimants. However, despite the adjustments, 39 Labour MPs have backed a fresh bid to crush the legislation. Rachael Maskell, the Labour MP who tabled the latest amendment, said that 'the whole Bill is unravelling before us'. Last week, over 120 Labour MPs signed an amendment that would give them an opportunity to vote on a proposal to reject the welfare reform bill in its entirety. That amendment has since been withdrawn. MPs will debate the bill in the Commons from lunchtime before a vote is expected at 7pm.
The Guardian
9 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Labour rebel claims Starmer risks defeat on welfare bill with ‘loads' of MPs planning to vote against it
Update: Date: 2025-07-01T08:23:35.000Z Title: Rachael Maskell Content: Keir Starmer faces the toughest Commons challenge of his premiership this evening when MPs vote on his welfare changes Andrew Sparrow Tue 1 Jul 2025 10.23 CEST First published on Tue 1 Jul 2025 10.08 CEST 10.22am CEST 10:22 Here is the full text of 's reasoned amendment to kill the UC and Pip bill (see 9.08am), which has been signed by 39 Labour MPs. That this house, whilst noting the need for the reform of the social security system, and agreeing with the government's principles for providing support to people into work and protecting people who cannot work, declines to give a second reading to the universal credit and personal independent payment bill because its provisions have not been subject to a formal consultation with disabled people, or co-produced with them, or their carers; because the Office for Budget Responsibility is not due to publish its analysis of the employment impact of these reforms until the autumn of 2025; because the majority of the additional employment support funding will not be in place until the end of the decade; because while acknowledging protection for current claimants, the government has yet to produce its own impact assessment on the impact of future claimants of personal independence payment (Pip) and universal credit limited capability for work and related activity and the number of people, including children, who will fall into poverty or experience worsening mental or physical health as a result, nor how many carers will lose carers allowance; because the government has not published an assessment of the impact of these reforms on health or care needs; and because the government is still awaiting the findings of the minister for social security and disability's review into the assessment for Pip and Sir Charlie Mayfield's independent review into the role of employers and government in boosting the employment of disabled people and people with long-term health conditions. The Liberals Democrats, the SNP, the Greens and the Independent Alliance have also tabled their own reasoned amendments against the bill. They are on the order paper. 10.08am CEST 10:08 Good morning. Keir Starmer faces the toughest Commons challenge of his premiership this evening when MPs vote on the universal credit (UC) and personal independence payment (Pip) bill with all commentators confident he will fact a big revolt. He is expected to win – but, on this point, the Westminster commentariat isn't 100% confident; it looks very tight. Governments almost never lose votes and there are good reasons for this. One is that they normally have a majority. (Starmer's working majority is 165.) But the main reason is that the one person who normally has the best intelligence as to how the vote will go is the government chief whip (Alan Campbell in this administration) and if the chief whip isn't confident that they have the numbers, ministers will offer last-minute concessions. Starmer has already offered concessions worth around £3.3bn on this bill, but there's a good chance we might get more during the debate – perhaps relating to when the new Pip rules recommended by the Stephen Timms review next year will start applying. So Starmer should win. But he has not won yet, and this morning there is fresh evidence that it is going to be very close. Meg Hillier, the Labour chair of the Treasury committee, has withdrawn the reasoned amendment to kill the bill that was signed by more than 120 Labour MPs. But overnight has tabled another, very similar reasoned amendment that would have the same effect. It has been signed by 39 Labour MPs – not enough to overturn Starmer's majority on their own – but in an interview on BBC Breakfast this morning she claimed that 'loads more' Labour MPs supported her. When it was put to her that 39 Labour MPs was not enough, she replied: There are loads more, loads more … I engaged with so many people yesterday that were saying, 'I'm not signing a reasoned amendment, but I am voting down the bill.' There is no guarantee that Maskell's reasoned amendment will be called. If the Conservative party had tabled one, that would normally have taken precedent, but they haven't. The Speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, could decide to call none of the reasoned amendment, and just go straight to a yes/no vote on the bill. But that would not make much difference, because all the Labour MPs who would vote for Maskell's amendment would presumably vote against the bill too. This morning Sam Coates, the Sky News deputy political editor, told his Politics at Sam and Anne's podcast that one of the rebels told him last night that they expected 68 Labour MPs to vote against the bill, with 30/40 abstentions. Coates said 68 votes against, and 30 abstentions, would wipe out Starmer's majority by one. That was not necessarily the expected outcome, Coates said, because things could change during the day. And in their London Playbook briefing for Politico, Sam Blewett and Bethany Dawson report on this exchange with a Labour official. Cool heads are not prevailing: One Labour official texted POLITICO's Dan Bloom last night: 'The heat has clearly gotten to the PLP — who are about to shoot themselves in the head and then attempt to blame the same people who got them elected for blood being everywhere.' Here is our overnight story by Jessica Elgot and Pippa Crerar. Here is the agenda for the day. 9.30am: Keir Starmer chairs cabinet. 11.30am: Rachel Reeves, chancellor, takes questions in the Commons. Noon: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing. After 12.30am: Liz Kendall, work and pensions secretary, opens the debate on the UC and Pip bill. 7pm: MPs vote on the bill. If you want to contact me, please post a message below the line when comments are open (normally between 10am and 3pm at the moment), or message me on social media. I can't read all the messages BTL, but if you put 'Andrew' in a message aimed at me, I am more likely to see it because I search for posts containing that word. If you want to flag something up urgently, it is best to use social media. You can reach me on Bluesky at @ The Guardian has given up posting from its official accounts on X, but individual Guardian journalists are there, I still have my account, and if you message me there at @AndrewSparrow, I will see it and respond if necessary. I find it very helpful when readers point out mistakes, even minor typos. No error is too small to correct. And I find your questions very interesting too. I can't promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either BTL or sometimes in the blog. Updated at 10.23am CEST
