Latest news with #WelfareReform
BBC News
9 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Crawley Labour MP Peter Lamb says welfare bill could be defeated
The Welfare Reform Bill could still be defeated at its second reading despite concessions from the government, a Labour MP has to BBC Politics South East, Peter Lamb, MP for Crawley in West Sussex, said: "I don't think it's inconceivable that we'll get back up to the numbers which potentially result in the bill being killed."Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced new stricter criteria would only apply to new claimants and reversed plans to freeze the health-related component of universal credit, with it rising in line with inflation for existing government said it had listened to the rebels but "what we all agree on is that we have to reform the broken system". Lamb said: "I'm part of a reasonably-sized group of people who are very clear that the conditions are still not acceptable."Responding to the changes the government has promised, he said: "This is ultimately still a cost-cutting measure and that means however they try and co-produce the system for these new people moving forwards, we're going to be taking billions of pounds out of the pockets of people with high levels of vulnerability when there are better alternatives on the table."Asked whether that meant the government could not rest easy, he replied: "They shouldn't rest easy because the proposals are not acceptable." Lamb said he would vote against the bill, regardless of a three-line whip."I will be a Labour MP when I vote down these proposals," he it was put to him that he might not be a Labour MP after the vote, he replied: "I'll be living up to the spirit of the party".He said he believed the government should invest instead in a preventative approach to mental health, which he said takes up 50% of Personal Independence Payments (PIP) he said he had not been listened to."I have made this argument for three months, three and a half months, at every possible level, and you can see the eyes glaze over," he told the BBC. On Friday, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said: "Sometimes there is strength in listening. You end up in the right position when you talk to all of those with knowledge and experience."We've more to do to talk to the people over the coming days, but this plan is rooted in Labour values: work for those who can, security for those that can't."I am very hopeful that we'll get this bill through the House." Politics South East is on BBC1 at 10:00 BST on Sunday, then on the iPlayer.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
The Guardian view on Labour's welfare revolt: ministers should take MPs more seriously
MPs and the parliamentary process rarely get a good press. Most citizens do not trust either of them much. As a result, the decline of parliament's role in national life has been a familiar topic for decades. Yet, when push comes to shove, as it has done again this week with Labour's important backbench revolt against the government's welfare plans, it turns out that MPs actually matter quite a lot. By Thursday morning, more than 120 Labour MPs had signalled opposition to the government's universal credit and personal independence payment bill. With the bill due to be voted on next Tuesday in the House of Commons, and with Labour's working majority currently standing at 165, that level of rebellion was irresistible. If the bill as it stands had come to a vote, Labour would have lost. This would have been a fundamental humiliation for Sir Keir Starmer, almost a year to the day after Labour was elected. Speaking to journalists two days earlier, Sir Keir had stuck to his guns. There was a 'clear moral case' for the bill's reforms, he insisted. A day later, he dismissed the revolt as 'noises off'. Those responses were tin-eared. Back in the Commons on Thursday, the prime minister had to face reality. He admitted talks were now taking place 'to get this right'. They would continue over the coming days, so that MPs 'can begin making change together on Tuesday'. There were claims on Thursday night that a big climbdown was taking shape. That seems inevitable, but it is not yet clear exactly what the changes to be put to MPs on Tuesday will be. The rebels say eligibility for disability benefits is being tightened too fiercely, and that the health related element of universal credit is being cut too hard. But ministers remain publicly committed to pressing on and making savings. Finding enough common ground for concessions that will definitively head off a government defeat is hard, since it involves a fundamental clash of approaches. Backbench revolts are a feature of modern politics. Yet this confrontation between Labour and its MPs is unusually large by any standards. It is a reminder that big majorities can bring as many headaches as small majorities more obviously do. Above all, it is a reminder that backbench revolts tend to be the visible tip of a larger iceberg of dissatisfaction with a government. Many of the Labour MPs who are challenging the work and pensions secretary, Liz Kendall, over welfare reform would not describe themselves as natural rebels. But their willingness to join a revolt on this major issue should not be dismissed as a one-off. It is likely to represent something broader too. This is why the complaints about the No 10 operation should be taken seriously. Sir Keir's staff may or may not be 'over-excitable boys', as some complaints have it, or operate the bunker mentality that is sometimes alleged. The fact is, however, that this revolt was visible long ago, but was not addressed in a professional manner. The policy was wrong. The opposition to it was broadly based. But the response of Labour's parliamentary managers and political strategists was hopeless. They did not take MPs seriously enough. In a manner echoing the way Dominic Cummings displayed such disdain for Tory backbenchers after 2019, Labour ministers and staffers seem to have thought that unhappy MPs do not matter. Sir Keir and his team are discovering just how wrong they were. It serves them right. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
Glasgow Times
20-06-2025
- Automotive
- Glasgow Times
Motability Scheme: Do you get a free car because you are disabled?
I find myself going into this big explanation of the true cost of my car. Some people still don't fully understand. The changes around the upcoming Welfare Reform has stirred the topic up again with people asking should Taxpayers be funding non-working people's car, without truly comprehending what they are talking about. I am going to explain to you, the true cost of my Motability car, not because I feel I owe it to anyone, but because I want people to understand just how much people with disabilities put in to these cars. (Image: Victoria-Jayne Scholes) Firstly, are these cars free? Simple answer, No! In order to qualify for a car, you must have enough points on the mobility part of the Personal Independence Allowance assessment to get enhanced rate. This benefit is not means tested. Many have argued is this fair. As you will see below the cost of some of these cars would be too far beyond reach for so many it would be difficult to find a cut off point in my opinion. Once you're awarded the enhanced rate, currently £77.05 we can trade for a car. No matter the car, big, small or medium the whole amount is given up. However, our biggest expense, and this is not funded by our allowance or by Motability, is our Advanced Payment. Think of it like a deposit but you don't get it back. When you are getting a new car every 3 years or 5 if it is a wheelchair accessible vehicle, these amounts can start to add up. If you go for a smaller can a Toyota Ago for example, then the advanced payment is zero. Meaning, you pay you monthly allowance only. It still does not mean the car is free. That is money given to people with disabilities to get around as we struggle with our mobility. If not used for a car, it can be used for other things such as hiring a new wheelchair, or taxi's to get around. Now, if we look to the bigger cars, such as the one I need to accommodate my needs, I am looking at a van. For me, the cost of an advanced payment with no adaptions in the car starts at £15,000. My driving licence states I have to drive with certain controls including hand controls. These don't come cheap and easily add another £5,000 on top. £15,000 for a car, that in 5 years-time I will have to hand back and then find again for another. Some have to find as much as £35,000 plus. Please do not get me wrong, I am in no way ungrateful, as I would never be able to afford my car off the scheme, but this is what I am trying to show. For myself and so many others out there, this scheme is a lifeline. It's our independence, our access to work and our link to the outside world. We have to find ways to pay this money, whether it be through grants, fund raising or through our hard-earned cash and savings but in no way free. So next time you think about asking 'do disabled people get a free car, or is it fair taxpayers are paying for it,' think how much they are giving up, because for most it is not just the money they have lost.
South Wales Guardian
20-06-2025
- Automotive
- South Wales Guardian
Motability Scheme: Do you get a free car because you are disabled?
I find myself going into this big explanation of the true cost of my car. Some people still don't fully understand. The changes around the upcoming Welfare Reform has stirred the topic up again with people asking should Taxpayers be funding non-working people's car, without truly comprehending what they are talking about. I am going to explain to you, the true cost of my Motability car, not because I feel I owe it to anyone, but because I want people to understand just how much people with disabilities put in to these cars. (Image: Victoria-Jayne Scholes) Firstly, are these cars free? Simple answer, No! In order to qualify for a car, you must have enough points on the mobility part of the Personal Independence Allowance assessment to get enhanced rate. This benefit is not means tested. Many have argued is this fair. As you will see below the cost of some of these cars would be too far beyond reach for so many it would be difficult to find a cut off point in my opinion. Once you're awarded the enhanced rate, currently £77.05 we can trade for a car. No matter the car, big, small or medium the whole amount is given up. However, our biggest expense, and this is not funded by our allowance or by Motability, is our Advanced Payment. Think of it like a deposit but you don't get it back. When you are getting a new car every 3 years or 5 if it is a wheelchair accessible vehicle, these amounts can start to add up. If you go for a smaller can a Toyota Ago for example, then the advanced payment is zero. Meaning, you pay you monthly allowance only. It still does not mean the car is free. That is money given to people with disabilities to get around as we struggle with our mobility. If not used for a car, it can be used for other things such as hiring a new wheelchair, or taxi's to get around. Now, if we look to the bigger cars, such as the one I need to accommodate my needs, I am looking at a van. For me, the cost of an advanced payment with no adaptions in the car starts at £15,000. My driving licence states I have to drive with certain controls including hand controls. These don't come cheap and easily add another £5,000 on top. £15,000 for a car, that in 5 years-time I will have to hand back and then find again for another. Some have to find as much as £35,000 plus. Please do not get me wrong, I am in no way ungrateful, as I would never be able to afford my car off the scheme, but this is what I am trying to show. For myself and so many others out there, this scheme is a lifeline. It's our independence, our access to work and our link to the outside world. We have to find ways to pay this money, whether it be through grants, fund raising or through our hard-earned cash and savings but in no way free. So next time you think about asking 'do disabled people get a free car, or is it fair taxpayers are paying for it,' think how much they are giving up, because for most it is not just the money they have lost.
South Wales Argus
20-06-2025
- Automotive
- South Wales Argus
Motability Scheme: Do you get a free car because you are disabled?
I find myself going into this big explanation of the true cost of my car. Some people still don't fully understand. The changes around the upcoming Welfare Reform has stirred the topic up again with people asking should Taxpayers be funding non-working people's car, without truly comprehending what they are talking about. I am going to explain to you, the true cost of my Motability car, not because I feel I owe it to anyone, but because I want people to understand just how much people with disabilities put in to these cars. (Image: Victoria-Jayne Scholes) Firstly, are these cars free? Simple answer, No! In order to qualify for a car, you must have enough points on the mobility part of the Personal Independence Allowance assessment to get enhanced rate. This benefit is not means tested. Many have argued is this fair. As you will see below the cost of some of these cars would be too far beyond reach for so many it would be difficult to find a cut off point in my opinion. Once you're awarded the enhanced rate, currently £77.05 we can trade for a car. No matter the car, big, small or medium the whole amount is given up. However, our biggest expense, and this is not funded by our allowance or by Motability, is our Advanced Payment. Think of it like a deposit but you don't get it back. When you are getting a new car every 3 years or 5 if it is a wheelchair accessible vehicle, these amounts can start to add up. If you go for a smaller can a Toyota Ago for example, then the advanced payment is zero. Meaning, you pay you monthly allowance only. It still does not mean the car is free. That is money given to people with disabilities to get around as we struggle with our mobility. If not used for a car, it can be used for other things such as hiring a new wheelchair, or taxi's to get around. Now, if we look to the bigger cars, such as the one I need to accommodate my needs, I am looking at a van. For me, the cost of an advanced payment with no adaptions in the car starts at £15,000. My driving licence states I have to drive with certain controls including hand controls. These don't come cheap and easily add another £5,000 on top. £15,000 for a car, that in 5 years-time I will have to hand back and then find again for another. Some have to find as much as £35,000 plus. Please do not get me wrong, I am in no way ungrateful, as I would never be able to afford my car off the scheme, but this is what I am trying to show. For myself and so many others out there, this scheme is a lifeline. It's our independence, our access to work and our link to the outside world. We have to find ways to pay this money, whether it be through grants, fund raising or through our hard-earned cash and savings but in no way free. So next time you think about asking 'do disabled people get a free car, or is it fair taxpayers are paying for it,' think how much they are giving up, because for most it is not just the money they have lost.
