US EditionGovt gives rebel Labour MPs major concession to welfare bill 90 minutes before vote
UNITED KINGDOM, JUL 1 – Labour faced its largest rebellion as it scrapped key disability benefit reforms and delayed changes until after a review, reducing expected savings from £4.8 billion to around £2 billion, analysts say.
- The UK government offered a major concession removing changes to Personal Independence Payments just 90 minutes before a Commons vote on Tuesday night.
- This concession followed threats from over 120 Labour MPs to oppose the welfare reforms and concerns about PIP eligibility changes pending a ministerial review.
- Disabilities Minister Stephen Timms confirmed that clause 5, which proposed new thresholds for qualifying for PIP, will be removed and that any changes will be postponed until his review is completed in autumn 2026.
- MPs voted 335 to 260 to pass the bill with a reduced majority of 75, after a five-hour debate marked by Labour rebels led by Rachael Maskell, who described the cuts as “Dickensian.”
- The bill’s passage was secured through concessions, though concerns remain about how the lost savings will be funded. The minister responsible for welfare reforms recognized that there are lessons to be learned and emphasized the goal of establishing a durable and fair welfare system for the future.
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Welfare reform bill: what changes did the government make to get it over the line?
Liz Kendall, the work and pensions secretary, speaks to the Commons ahead of the crucial vote on welfare reform. House of Commons/Flickr, CC BY-NC-NDThe government’s landmark bill on welfare reform passed by 335 to 260 votes on Tuesday evening, after staving off a major rebellion from Labour MPs. To win over backbench MPs who had opposed the bill, the government made a series of concessions, including a last-minute compromise agreeing that any c…
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Total News Sources47
Leaning Left8Leaning Right1Center23Last UpdatedBias Distribution72% Center
Bias Distribution
- 72% of the sources are Center
72% Center
L 25%
C 72%
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