Austerity 2

I will vote against the Welfare Bill – I don’t want anyone to feel the regret I’ve had since 2015

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Emma Lewell MP

https://www.politicshome.com/opinion/article/i-will-vote-against-the-welfare-bill

The government agreed to make two major changes to the welfare bill ahead of a House of Commons vote on Tuesday (Alamy)

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On Tuesday, we are being asked to vote for the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill in its original form because the concessions promised are not written into the Bill yet. We are being asked again to ‘trust’ that the Bill will change in committee.

But even with the promised concessions, we are still being asked to tighten eligibility criteria. A cut in support for those who will need it the most.

I am one of several disabled MPs, and not once did anyone from the Cabinet or No 10 reach out to me. Even worse, it appears they didn’t reach out to the multitude of disabled rights organisations or trade unions in agreeing to those concessions. Why were they not in the room when vital decisions about their lives were made?

These concessions are about party management and saving face.

There is no new bill, there are no new explanatory notes, and there are no impact assessments on the new proposals, and no time for sufficient scrutiny. There has been no formal consultation with disabled people. The majority of employment support won’t be in place until the end of the decade, access to work is in a worse state than ever before, it is unclear what the impact on carers’ allowances will be, and it creates a two-tier benefit system where disabled people will be worse off.

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https://www.politicshome.com/opinion/article/i-will-vote-against-the-welfare-bill

Keir Starmer says that the Labour Party under his leadership all feel a small part of Scunthorpe.
Keir Starmer says that the Labour Party under his leadership all feel a small part of Scunthorpe.
Continue ReadingI will vote against the Welfare Bill – I don’t want anyone to feel the regret I’ve had since 2015

The Guardian view on Labour’s disability benefits rethink: concessions suggest strategy not a change of heart

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https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/27/the-guardian-view-on-labours-disability-benefits-rethink-concessions-suggest-strategy-not-a-change-of-heart

Many Labour MPs still believe these are the wrong reforms and will vote against the bill next week. Photograph: Alishia Abodunde/Getty Images

Sir Keir Starmer’s plans risk creating lasting inequality – and alienating the very voters who once believed his party stood for their protection

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The upshot is that existing claimants would be protected, but future ones face tougher rules. Two people with identical conditions could receive support, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, that differs by up to £6,560 a year – purely due to timing. This, we’re told, is compassion. The savings – halved to £2.5bn a year – come by offloading the cost on to future claimants. MPs rightly fear this locks in a two-tier system that is deliberately harsher on disabled people.

Older Labour MPs will remember denouncing this very playbook. A decade ago, Iain Duncan Smith pioneered a slow, procedural tightening of welfare – hitting new claimants first, then reassessing the rest – precisely to defuse resistance. Labour opposed it then. Today, it is governing by the same method. It feels out of step with a post-pandemic Britain grappling with a cost of living crisis.

Many Labour MPs believe these are still the wrong reforms and will vote against the bill when it comes back to the House of Commons next week. Clearly, tightened eligibility and a two-tier system may exclude many who need support. If the government wants to raise money, it might ask a little more of those with the broadest shoulders – not those with mobility aids, care plans and the audacity to ask for a fair deal. If ministers truly believe they are acting decently, they should publish the impact assessment and be honest about the consequences.

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https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/27/the-guardian-view-on-labours-disability-benefits-rethink-concessions-suggest-strategy-not-a-change-of-heart

Keir Starmer says that the Labour Party under his leadership all feel a small part of Scunthorpe.
Keir Starmer says that the Labour Party under his leadership all feel a small part of Scunthorpe.
Continue ReadingThe Guardian view on Labour’s disability benefits rethink: concessions suggest strategy not a change of heart

‘Too arrogant to listen’: how welfare bill soured Starmer’s relations with rebel MPs

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https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/jun/29/they-didnt-think-wed-have-the-guts-how-labour-rebels-forced-the-governments-welfare-u-turn

Keir Starmer in The Hague on Wednesday, where he called the rebellion over the welfare bill ‘noises off’. Photograph: Kin Cheung/Reuters

MPs describe receiving veiled deselection threats as No 10 sought to quash revolt before finally backing down

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MPs say they received a litany of threats, including the possibility of a general election. Those on the right of the party were warned their actions could bring about a leadership challenge that would be won by Angela Rayner. The same threat was made to those on the left, but with Wes Streeting as the looming spectre.

Others say they have received veiled threats of deselection, or that their funding for the next general election would be decided on the basis of whether or not they toed the line. One party official allegedly rang a rebellious MP’s husband in order to get her to back down.

“I don’t even think some of this is sanctioned by No 10,” one MP said. “Until Wednesday they had their fingers in their ears. But those who are responsible for party management have been absolutely losing it.”

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Yet the number of rebels continued to grow, and No 10 finally bowed to the inevitable. On Thursday morning, the prime minister used a Commons statement ostensibly about international affairs to promise a welfare rethink.

Until that point, Starmer had seemed oddly detached from the issue, surfacing intermittently at summits to bat away questions about the revolt – or “noises off” as he termed it – as a distraction from the vital task of transforming welfare.

Some MPs view this as indicative of a prime minister more than usually disconnected from the everyday grid of parliamentary business, as illustrated by the statistic that since winning the election he has voted in the Commons just seven times.

A few have begun to openly speculate about what the situation means for Starmer’s leadership. “It is very bad for Keir. It is one in four of his MPs [that intended to rebel]. He is toast,” one MP said.

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Original article at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/jun/29/they-didnt-think-wed-have-the-guts-how-labour-rebels-forced-the-governments-welfare-u-turn

Keir Starmer says that the Labour Party under his leadership all feel a small part of Scunthorpe.
Keir Starmer says that the Labour Party under his leadership all feel a small part of Scunthorpe.
Keir Starmer chases Nigel Farage's racist bigot vote.
Keir Starmer chases Nigel Farage’s racist bigot vote.

Continue Reading‘Too arrogant to listen’: how welfare bill soured Starmer’s relations with rebel MPs

Starmer imperils government with welfare cuts

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/starmer-imperils-government-welfare-cuts

 Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during a reception for London Tech Week, at no 10 Downing Street, London, June 10, 2025

MPs will vote next week on welfare cuts aimed at disabled people, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Deputy Leader Angela Rayner pledged today.

Playing a game of chicken with the growing number of Labour rebels prepared to defy the government on the issue, Sir Keir pledged to press ahead with his savage cuts.

One Labour MP described it as a “charge of the political light brigade” by Blairite budgetary hardliners.

But Sir Keir told LBC radio that “there’ll be a vote on Tuesday, we’re going to make sure we reform the welfare system,” while Ms Rayner told MPs  simply: “We will go ahead on Tuesday.”

This does not mean that the debate will definitely proceed as planned, only that Downing Street has not yet made a final determination.

The number of Labour MPs prepared to back an amendment which would end all progress on the Bill has risen to over 120.

This would mean that Sir Keir could only prevail with Tory support.  

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch is flirting with backing the government, but is demanding a pledge of no tax increases in the autumn Budget in return, something no government could offer while retaining any self-respect.

Sir Keir now faces several choices, all damaging to his political future.

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/starmer-imperils-government-welfare-cuts

Continue ReadingStarmer imperils government with welfare cuts

dizzy says

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Keir Starmer warns against following the https://onaquietday.org blog.
Keir Starmer warns against following the https://onaquietday.org blog.

I wanted to point out that I am not associated with the Labour MPs rebelling over severe cuts to benefits that will throw many disabled people into poverty other than supporting their objectives. I wish them luck and expect that they will be jobless come next election if they stick with Starmer & Co and their evil policies.

Keir Starmer says that the Labour Party under his leadership all feel a small part of Scunthorpe.
Keir Starmer says that the Labour Party under his leadership all feel a small part of Scunthorpe.
Continue Readingdizzy says