Labour MPs launch major rebellion, hoping to kill off welfare bill
Labour MPs have launched a significant rebellion against the government’s welfare reform plans, with over 100 MPs backing an amendment that could effectively kill off the flagship welfare bill. The amendment, spearheaded by select committee chairs including Treasury Committee Chair Meg Hillier, calls for a pause on benefit cuts, demanding full consultation with disabled people and independent analysis of the employment impact before further changes are made.
The motion, backed by 108 MPs, includes signatories such as former Cabinet minister Louise Haigh and Vicky Foxcroft, who resigned as a whip over the issue. It warns the bill risks pushing 250,000 people into poverty, including 50,000 children, and criticises the government for pushing ahead without finalised support structures or analysis from the Office for Budget Responsibility, expected in the autumn.
While the amendment does not seek to wreck the bill outright, its passage would halt the bill at second reading via a “reasoned amendment” mechanism. To succeed, it must be selected by Speaker Lindsay Hoyle and gain support from opposition parties. Its political weight, however, already poses a significant challenge to Keir Starmer, with some frontbenchers reportedly considering resignations ahead of next Tuesday’s vote.
Read a WTX News report on Labour’s welfare reform
🔁 Reactions:
- Government (Liz Kendall/X): “These reforms are essential to ensure the welfare state survives and supports those most in need.”
- Opposition (Meg Hillier/X): “We need reform, but the current bill is rushed, and disabled people must not pay the price.”
- Viral/Public (Disability Rights UK): > “Consult us. Listen to us. Stop reforming around us without us.”
📰 Bias Snapshot:
- The Guardian highlights the amendment’s ethical core and the tension within Labour ranks over consultation and poverty impacts.
- Sky News frames it as a key test of party unity, focusing on the potential political fallout for Starmer and the rebellion’s scope.
- The Times stresses the financial pressure on Rachel Reeves and portrays the bill as essential to Labour’s fiscal credibility.
📊 Sentiment: Negative–neutral. The rebellion lays bare deep unease within Labour about the scale and speed of welfare reform. While the government emphasises fiscal survival, critics warn of avoidable harm to the UK’s most vulnerable.