US EditionAnxiety over welfare cuts rises among Labour MPs
- Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced welfare reforms in her spring statement, including changes to PIP eligibility and universal credit sickness benefits, aiming to save £5 billion a year by 2029.
- The government's justification is to address the increasing number of people, approximately 1,000 per day, moving onto long-term sickness and disability benefits, potentially reaching 4.3 million by the end of the decade if no action is taken.
- Universal credit health benefits for new claimants will be halved in 2026, and the tightening of PIP eligibility is facing criticism from disability charities, unions, and within the Labour Party itself.
- Rachel Reeves has stated that her fiscal rules are "non-negotiable", while Labour MP Clive Lewis criticized the cuts as 'punching down on the poorest and most vulnerable,' and Debbie Abrahams, chair of the work and pensions select committee, warned that "all the evidence points to cuts in welfare leading to severe poverty and worsened health conditions."
- The government's own impact assessment estimates that these changes could push around 250,000 families, including 50,000 children, into poverty, leading to unease among Labour MPs and potential rebellion, though government whips are likely overestimating the number of Labour rebels.
Insights by Ground AI
Does this summary seem wrong?
14 Articles
14 Articles
All
Left
4
Center
2
Right
1
Labour MP’s awkwardly long silence when asked if government has been a disappointment
A Labour MP remained awkwardly silent when asked if his party’s government has been a disappointment. Clive Lewis remained silent for five seconds when he was asked by Sky journalist Sophy Ridge: “Has this Labour government been a disappointment?” The Norwich South MP appeared on Sky on Wednesday (26 March) just hours after chancellor Rachel Reeves’ spring statement. The chancellor unveiled a £14bn package to repair the UK economy that includes …
·London, United Kingdom
Read Full Article
Coverage Details
Total News Sources14
Leaning Left4Leaning Right1Center2Last UpdatedBias Distribution57% Left
Bias Distribution
- 57% of the sources lean Left
57% Left
L 57%
C 29%
14%
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
Ownership
To view ownership data please Upgrade to Vantage
