Keir Starmer won Commons backing for his welfare Bill this evening after making further concessions to Labour rebels which leave the legislation eviscerated.
MPs rejected an amendment to sink the bill by 328 votes to 149 after an impassioned debate, suggesting a significant backbench revolt.
A further vote on approving the Bill was passed by 335 votes to 260, with the Tories voting against, cutting the government’s majority in half. It is believed 42 Labour MPs voted against the whip on the amendment.
Still facing defeat after earlier retreats that left benefits to disabled people already claiming Personal Independence Payments (PIP) untouched but threatened cuts for future claimants, Starmer backed down further at the eleventh hour.
Changes to PIP payments for future disabled claimants will now be paused until the conclusion of a review by Welfare Minister Stephen Timms, rather than being imposed from November 2026.
The latest retreat leaves the Bill bereft of most of its original purpose and without the £5 billion savings Chancellor Rachel Reeves was eager for.
And it leaves the Prime Minister’s authority radically diminished after bruising criticisms from normally loyal Labour MPs.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone obect to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities,mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Vote Labour for Genocide.UK Labour Party government ministers Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves explain that they are partners complicit in Israel’s Gaza genocide. The UK has provided Israel with arms, military and air force support. They explain that they don’t do gas chambers but do do forced marches, starvation, destroy hospitals, mass-murders of journalists and healthcare workers.
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Aid trucks sent by the United Nations under Israeli attacks enter the Zakim border crossing under the protection of Palestinians and reached the warehouses in the north of in Gaza City, Gaza, on June 25, 2025. [Saeed M. M. T. Jaras – Anadolu Agency]
The UN said Monday that Israel must facilitate access and entry of essential supplies into Gaza through available crossing points to address people’s “urgent needs,” Anadolu reports.
“Civilians must be respected, and they must be protected,” said spokesperson Stephane Dujarric during a daily press briefing, emphasizing the need for “full, safe, and sustained humanitarian access in accordance with humanitarian principles.”
He said the World Food Program (WFP) reports that one in five people in Gaza faces “catastrophic levels of hunger” due to heavy constraints on humanitarian operations.
“Given the heavy constraints on bringing in supplies and carrying out humanitarian operations across Gaza, people are going hungry,” Dujarric said, adding that tons of food have been prepared in the region and are ready to serve people in Gaza “if increased access is granted.”
He said that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was “alarmed” over new evacuation orders issued by Israeli authorities in northern Gaza, “which have once again displaced tens of thousands of people.”
“People are being pushed into overcrowded areas where thousands of others are already staying. These spaces lack shelter. They lack water, they lack sewage systems, not to mention medical facilities,” Dujarric said.
– Fuel ban threatens critical services
Dujarric called on Israeli authorities to allow fuel entry into Gaza for life-saving operations, including hospitals, desalination plants, sanitation equipment, and telecommunications.
“If the ban on fuel continues, more of these critical services will shut down soon, and in some areas very soon,” he warned.
The spokesperson said fuel powers community kitchens, which are essential for feeding Gaza’s population, and allows cargo to move between locations.
Dujarric said Guterres also “condemns” continued civilian casualties from Israeli attacks and “welcomes” continued mediation efforts for a permanent ceasefire.
Despite international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has killed more than 56,500 Palestinians in a deadly onslaught in the Gaza Strip since October 2023.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone obect to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities,mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Vote Labour for Genocide.UK Labour Party government ministers Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves explain that they are partners complicit in Israel’s Gaza genocide. The UK has provided Israel with arms, military and air force support. They explain that they don’t do gas chambers but do do forced marches, starvation, destroy hospitals, mass-murders of journalists and healthcare workers.
Members of Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) protest in Leeds. Photo: Neil Terry Photography
… Keir Starmer could face the biggest parliamentary revolt since the Iraq war as MPs vote on welfare cuts the government’s own figures say will push 150,000 into poverty by 2030 tomorrow.
No 10 was accused of “total desperation” as furious Labour rebels vowed to vote down the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Bill.
Celebrities joined disabled activists as they staged protests outside Parliament and across the country today against the plans to create a “two-tier” welfare system.
Disabled People Against Cuts co-founder Linda Burnip told the Morning Star: “We are very much against the paltry concessions that have been made which actually don’t seem to going to protect anyone.
“It smacks to me of total desperation, they are just flopping around changing things from one day to another.
“We are obviously not being bought off by the concessions and protests will continue and we will make sure that any Labour MPs that vote in favour of this Bill don’t get back into the Parliament at the next election.”
At the Disabled People Against Cuts (Dpac) protest against benefit cuts (Picture: Guy Smallman)
MPs will vote on Tuesday on Labour’s vicious ‘welfare reform’ bill
Disabled people say they are in a fight for their lives. Hundreds of people gathered in the sweltering heat at Parliament Square on Monday for a protest organised by Disabled People Against Cuts (Dpac) and others.
Paula Peters from Dpac told the crowd, “There is only one thing to do with this bill—bin it.”
The Labour government claims it has to slash the welfare budget, but is boosting military spending.
Angela Grant from the PCS union said, “They are spending money on selling arms to other countries to kill other people like us. It’s warfare abroad and warfare against disabled people.
“They do not care. They are not listening—until we make them listen. We have seen some U-turns already. That’s people power.”
Disabled journalist Frances Ryan has said, “This is Labour’s poll tax, its tuition fees, its Partygate. Just as the Iraq war was for Tony Blair, disability cuts are the moral stain that will mark Starmer’s government and the party for years to come.”
Keir Starmer
