Dozens of Labour MPs back fresh calls to vote down Starmer's welfare bill

Nearly 40 Labour MPs person signalled they are inactive prepared to ballot against Sir Keir Starmer's payment cuts, contempt the premier curate offering important concessions to debar a damaging rebellion.

Thirty-nine Labour MPs person backed a caller amendment to the updated payment bill, which alternatively of cutting benefits for existing claimants, present lone restricts them for caller ones.

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The fig is simply a important driblet from the 127 Labour MPs who past week signed a abstracted amendment that would person killed the authorities and delivered a terrible stroke to Sir Keir's authorization if it passed.

In an effort to minimise the looming rebellion, the premier curate watered down his archetypal payment proposals to minimise the interaction connected existing claimants.

On Monday, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall confirmed that each existing claimants of the idiosyncratic independency outgo (PIP), the main disablement benefit, volition beryllium protected from changes to eligibility, which has been tightened nether the archetypal plan.

The combined worth of the modular Universal Credit allowance and the wellness top-up volition emergence "at slightest successful enactment with inflation" each twelvemonth of this parliament, portion an further £300m for employment enactment for sick and disabled radical successful 2026 has been announced, which volition emergence each twelvemonth after.

Ms Kendall besides promised a consultation into PIP - "co-produced" with disabled radical - volition beryllium published adjacent autumn, which was a cardinal request of the rebels.

Analysis by the authorities published yesterday revealed the caller payment connection would inactive propulsion 150,000 much radical into poorness by 2030 - down from the 250,000 estimated nether the archetypal plan.

Ms Kendall said the U-turn connected payment cuts volition outgo taxpayers astir £2.5bn by 2030 - little than fractional the £4.8bn the authorities had expected to prevention with its archetypal proposals.

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However, respective Labour MPs indicated they would inactive ballot against the bill, with immoderate saying it would make a two-tier benefits strategy that treats existing claimants and caller claimants differently.

The caller amendment signed by the 39 Labour MPs calls for the measure to beryllium dropped implicit concerns that determination has not been a proper, ceremonial consultation with disabled radical - and the further employment enactment backing volition not beryllium successful spot until the extremity of the decade.

It is up to Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the House of Commons Speaker, to determine whether to prime the amendment erstwhile the measure is enactment to a crunch ballot aboriginal today.

Nadia Whittome, the Labour MP for Nottingham East and connected the party's left, said the concessions "aren't enough".

She told Sky News' Kamali Melbourne this morning: "I deliberation it's precise telling that not a azygous disabled people's organisation supports the bill, adjacent since the concessions, there's a batch that we don't cognize astir however that volition enactment successful practice.

"But what we bash cognize is that anybody scoring little than 4 points successful immoderate class successful their PIP appraisal volition not beryllium eligible for enactment - that includes radical who request assistance cutting up food, request assistance dressing, washing beneath the waist. They volition nary longer beryllium eligible for PIP successful future.

"By the government's ain calculations that could propulsion 150,000 radical into poverty... it's really apt to beryllium overmuch higher."

Sarah Owen, the Labour MP for Luton North and the seat of the Women and Equalities Committee, questioned whether a "three-tier" benefits strategy could beryllium created, erstwhile taking into relationship the information that a authorities reappraisal is being carried retired into the PIP appraisal strategy by curate Stephen Timms.

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Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds denied claims of a "three-tier" system, saying: "I've seen these claims. I don't judge this.

"It's wholly mean for erstwhile we person important changes to the payment state, existing entitlements to beryllium grandfathered."

He besides urged his colleagues to ballot for the bill, arguing the authorities was present successful a "stronger position" than it was past week aft making concessions implicit its plans.

"I'd inquire them to enactment the authorities connected that basis, due to the fact that intelligibly what we've got present is thing which is amended than the existing system," helium said.