Up to 100 Labour MPs have launched a mass rebellion over the government’s welfare cuts in a major warning sign for Keir Starmer ahead of next Monday’s vote.
Led by senior select committee chairs, Labour figures have filed an amendment that declines to pass the PM’s welfare changes and calls for a pause, including for further consultation into the policy and for support to be in place before any changes.
It has been signed by former cabinet minister Louise Haigh and Vicky Foxcroft, who quit as a Labour whip last week, alongside backbench MPs like Connor Naismith and Neil Duncan-Jordan, both elected in July.
They claim the amendment, to be published today, is not intended to derail the welfare bill entirely but as dozens of Labour MPs are uneasy about the plans that could be the eventual outcome, according to the Guardian.
“We all want the Labour government to succeed in getting people back into work and supporting those who can’t. We don’t want to defeat the government but we want the government to think again,” Treasury select committee chair, Meg Hillier, told the newspaper.
“We are being asked to vote before consultation with disabled people and before impact assessments.”
She added: “We recognise that the financial situation is difficult. As the chancellor says governing is about choices. We don’t disagree that there is a need to reform welfare but it’s hard to deliver the proposed improvements in the proposed timescale. And disabled people must be protected.”
At a parliamentary Labour Party meeting, DWP boss Liz Kendall urged MPs to support the government.
“The path to fairer society – one where everyone thrives, where people who can work get the support they need, and where we protect those who cannot – that is the path we seek to build with our reforms,” she said. “Our plans are rooted in fairness, for those who need support and for taxpayers.
“They are about ensuring the welfare state survives, so there is always a safety net for those who need it. They’re about putting proper safeguards in place to protect the most vulnerable.
“But above all they are about our belief that everyone can fulfil their potential and live their hopes and dreams when – collectively – we provide them with real opportunities and support. This is the better future we seek to build for our constituents and our country.”
It comes after senior Labour MP Richard Burgon told The London Economic that Keir Starmer faces the “mother of all rebellions” over his cuts.
“If the government presses ahead with its cuts to disability benefits, I think it is no exaggeration to say it will face the mother of all rebellions well beyond the left of the parliamentary Labour party,” he said. “There are huge numbers of Labour MPs who are deeply uncomfortable about this. It is not the Labour thing to do and it is not what any of the Labour backbenchers got into politics to do.”