Labour MPs rebel against welfare cuts with bid to kill Bill

Labour is facing a rebellion against its welfare Bill as opponents launch an amendment to stop the cuts from progressing through Parliament.

A reasoned amendment due to be published on Tuesday will seek to halt the Bill.

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle would need to select the amendment when MPs debate the legislation at its second reading.

But it could pose a major challenge to the Government’s plans.

Dozens of MPs, including 11 select committee chairs, are understood to have backed it.

The chairwoman of the Work and Pensions Committee said the aim was to persuade the Government to “think again”, while another backer urged the Government to “go back to the drawing board”.

It comes after Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall sought to talk up the changes and persuade backbench MPs at a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP).

Eligibility 

Under the proposals, ministers will limit eligibility for the personal independence payment (Pip), the main disability payment in England and Wales, and limit the sickness-related element of universal credit (UC).

The amendment acknowledges the need to reform the social security system but calls to reject the Bill because of a lack of consultation with disabled people and their carers.

It also makes the case that arrangements are not in place to help those affected by the changes, noting that most additional employment support funding will not be in place until the end of the decade.

And it points to the fact that an analysis of the impact of the reforms on employment from the Office for Budget Responsibility will not be published until the autumn.

Debbie Abrahams MP, chairwoman of the Work and Pensions Committee, said: “We desperately want the Government to succeed in the shared goal of getting people who can work into work and supporting those who can’t.

“We want the Government to listen and to think again on this Bill.

“We are being asked to vote for this Bill before disabled people have been consulted, before impact assessments have been conducted, and before we have given enough time to some of the Government’s key policies – investing in the NHS, to the right to try, and to work coaching – (to) have been able to bed in.”

Another MP backing the amendment said: “The breadth of the support for this amendment, from across the PLP, shows just how concerned MPs are about the cuts to disability benefits.

“The Government needs to withdraw the Bill and go back to the drawing board.”

The Government has faced a growing backlash to its planned reforms, with Labour MP Vicky Foxcroft resigning as a Government whip because of her concerns over the package.

MPs continued to voice their concerns in the Commons on Monday.

‘Appalling poverty’

Andy McDonald, who represents Middlesbrough and Thornaby East, said he and his colleagues were being asked to vote on imposing “appalling poverty”.

Ministers have previously said the reforms could save up to £5 billion a year.

The Work and Pensions Secretary told the PLP that the plans are “rooted in fairness”.

Ms Kendall said: “The path to a fairer society – one where everyone thrives, where people who can work get the support they need, and where we protect those who cannot – that is the path we seek to build with our reforms.

“Our plans are rooted in fairness – for those who need support and for taxpayers.”

She argued they are about ensuring the survival of the welfare state so there is always a safety net for those in need of it.

Ms Kendall added: “But above all they are about our belief that everyone can fulfil their potential and live their hopes and dreams when, collectively, we provide them with real opportunities and support.

“This is the better future we seek to build for our constituents and our country.”