Welfare concessions are on the table, PM confirms ahead of crunch vote

Concessions connected payment are being discussed with rebel MPs up of a crunch ballot adjacent week, Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed.

The premier curate opened a connection astir the NATO acme helium has conscionable returned from with a motion to the troubles helium is facing astatine home.

Politics Live: PM offers olive subdivision to Labour rebels up of pivotal vote

Speaking successful the Commons helium said each colleagues privation to get payment betterment close and "so bash I".

He added: "We privation to spot betterment implemented with Labour values of fairness. That speech volition proceed successful the coming days."

Sir Keir faces a hard task arsenic respective MPs person told Sky News they are "sticking to their guns" aft frantic calls from furniture ministers connected Wednesday failed to bring them connected side.

One MP from the 2024 intake said: "Many are sticking to their guns. It's present go much than welfare. They were excessively dense with their calls this week and unit connected backmost benches."

Another MP accused Number 10 and the premier curate of showing "utter contempt" towards the rebels' concerns and said this "is lone annoying radical more".

The Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill aims to shave £5bn disconnected the payment fund by 2030.

This includes restricting eligibility for the idiosyncratic independency outgo (pip), the main disablement outgo successful England, and bounds the sickness-related constituent of cosmopolitan credit.

The government's ain figures amusement 250,000 radical could beryllium pushed into poverty, including 50,000 children, due to the fact that of the changes.

Ministers accidental this volition beryllium offset by plans to get much radical into work, but portion tons of MPs hold with that successful rule they accidental it's not wide however this volition beryllium achieved.

What are the rebels calling for?

More than 120 Labour MPs person signed a "reasoned amendment" arguing that disabled radical person not been decently consulted and further scrutiny of the changes is needed.

The authorities initially stuck to its guns amid the increasing disquiet.

But portion outwardly confident, Sky News learnt that furniture ministers were ringing MPs asking them to instrumentality their sanction disconnected the amendment and informing of a imaginable enactment contention oregon wide predetermination if the authorities loses the ballot connected Tuesday.

What concessions could beryllium reached?

Ministers person since hinted astatine attempts to scope a compromise, but it's not wide what benignant of concessions would fulfill the bills' critics.

Sky News understands determination has been discussions astir watering down the changes to pip.

Under existent plans, radical volition request to people a minimum of 4 points successful astatine slightest 1 enactment to suffice for the regular surviving constituent alternatively of less points dispersed crossed a scope of tasks, arsenic is presently the case.

Ministers person discussed lowering the caller criteria to 3 points, but 1 MP told Sky News this is "still unacceptable" arsenic it would not greatly trim the fig of radical acceptable to suffer out.

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Another MP said they had not heard thing factual connected concessions yet, but added: "Frankly, personally, this has been truthful severely mishandled that abbreviated of pulling the measure and bringing it backmost aboriginal successful the twelvemonth pursuing the interaction appraisal and with amendments, I don't deliberation my presumption volition alteration going successful to Tuesday astatine this point."

Timeline for statement 'unbelievable'

MPs are besides annoyed that if the authorities clears the archetypal hurdle it volition past look lone a fewer hours' introspection alternatively than days oregon weeks successful beforehand of a committee tasked with looking astatine the bill.

Lucy Powell, the person of the House of Commons, has said pursuing the 2nd speechmaking and ballot connected Tuesday 1 July, the bill's remaining stages volition instrumentality spot successful a Commons statement connected 9 July.

She said the ballot adjacent week is for the principles to beryllium considered, with the details to beryllium "discussed and amended" astatine the adjacent stages.

This appears to suggest the authorities is asking MPs to backmost the measure connected Tuesday arsenic a amusement of statement connected the rule of reform, with a committedness that changes could beryllium made later.

But it's not wide whether this strategy volition enactment fixed 1 of the rebels' main concerns is that the measure is being rushed through.

One MP said: "The caller enactment appears to beryllium we each hold connected the rule of betterment truthful backmost astatine 2nd speechmaking and amend astatine remaining stages.

"One azygous time [for] each different stages of the measure is unbelievable."