Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall has argued that welfare reforms will create a “better future” (Alamy)

4 min read24 June

No 10 said on Tuesday it committed to delivering its controversial welfare bill despite a large backbench rebellion which could prevent the legislation passing in Parliament.

The vote, scheduled to happen on Tuesday next week, would remove eligibility for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) from hundreds of thousands of disabled people, which would potentially push 250,000 people into poverty – including 50,000 children – according to the government’s own analysis. 

The government argues the reforms are necessary because welfare spending is set to hit unsustainable levels in the coming years.

Speaking when the proposals were announced in March, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said the reforms would help “more to help people stay in work” and “get back to work more quickly”. 

However, more than 100 of Labour’s own backbenchers have put their names to a reasoned amendment to the legislation which would effectively halt its passage through Parliament. These names include prominent select committee chairs such as Meg Hillier, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, Debbie Abrahams, and Florence Eshalomi.

The move presents a serious challenge to the government, as the Lib Dems are likely to also vote against the bill, while the Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said her party will only lend their votes to the bill if the government meets certain conditions – which is very unlikely.

Cabinet ministers have therefore been tasked with calling and texting the rebel MPs to try to convince them to vote for the welfare bill next week.

One MP who signed the reasoned amendment told PoliticsHome: “They’ve moved to begging and flattery from threats, but they [the government] are clear they’re not moving on any of it.”

Asked what kind of “flattery” the ministers were using exactly, the MP said it was along the lines of: “Oh but you’re so sensible and reasonable, why would you do this, why not vote it through next week and try and win the arguments on confessions at committee stage?”

But they insisted that government ministers have said “nothing that will change anyone’s position”, and even suggested that their own whip could be on “resignation watch”, as they “certainly made no attempt to change anyone’s mind”.

Matt Faulding, a fixer figure in Starmer’s inner circle, was seen in Parliament today speaking to Labour MPs as part of the government’s bid to mitigate the backbench rebellion.

Labour MPs are also being warned that the legislation being defeated will bring down the government and trigger a snap general election, PoliticsHome understands.

Prime Minister Starmer denied earlier today, however, that the vote on the legislation was tantamount to a confidence vote.

PoliticsHome reported over the weekend that the government was thought to be braced for numerous junior ministers and parliamentary private secretaries to resign over the issue, which may force Starmer into a mini re-shuffle.

Labour MP Vicky Foxcroft already resigned from her role as a government whip last week over the proposed welfare cuts, saying she could not stay in a post which required her to whip or vote for “reforms which include cuts to disabled people’s finances”.

Another rebel MP said the whipping operation this week had been “very half-arsed”.

“It kind of sums up the whole mess,” they said, describing whips and some Cabinet ministers as “not really willing to put the effort in to support No 10 and No 11 on this”.

They added that they had not received any indication the government was going to budge: “That smacks either of denial, or that they are working with very patchy info on what the bulk of the PLP [Parliamentary Labour Party] thinks.”

A third MP opposed to the bill said that they have organised a meeting with Kendall herself on Wednesday to discuss the matter. Another said they hadn’t had any further conversations with whips or ministers since yesterday.

The rebellion became even more acute for the government today when London mayor Sadiq Khan announced that he would also oppose the welfare reforms.

“What we can’t do is take away the vital safety net that so many vulnerable and disabled Londoners rely upon,” he said in a statement. 

“Having looked at the analysis of the government’s plans, the impact on London will be substantial, and for too many disabled Londoners it will destroy their financial safety net. The government must urgently think again. It must look again at the potential hardship these changes will force on thousands of vulnerable and disabled Londoners.”

Additional reporting by Tom Scotson and Matilda Martin.