US EditionLabour MP resigns as government whip over benefit cuts
UNITED KINGDOM, JUN 19 – Labour MP Vicky Foxcroft resigned as government whip over £5 billion in planned welfare cuts, highlighting concerns that 250,000 disabled people could be pushed into poverty, officials said.
- Labour’s Vicky Foxcroft stepped down from her position as a government whip in protest against proposed reductions to disability benefits during ongoing parliamentary discussions this week.
- Her resignation followed the government's introduction of a bill on Wednesday tightening eligibility for the personal independence payment and cutting the sickness component of Universal Credit.
- The legislation affects some 3.7 million PIP claimants in England and Wales, with around 800,000 current and future claimants expected to lose an average of £4,500 annually.
- Foxcroft stated she could not back the proposed changes because they would reduce financial support for disabled individuals, while fellow Labour MPs commended her for taking a stand on principle amid widespread party concern.
- The government defends the reforms as necessary to fix a broken welfare system and deliver change, though critics warn of increased poverty and call for funding through taxing the super-rich instead.
43 Articles
43 Articles
UK Social Security Plans Will Harm People With Disabilities
Click to expand Image Disability rights activists march in London against social security cuts as the UK’s Chancellor Rachel Reeves presents her “Spring Statement” or mini-budget, March 26, 2025. © 2025 Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock The United Kingdom government has just published draft legislation seeking to “reform” key disability-related aspects of its complex social security system. While the government claims its moves “will prote…
Labour MP Vicky Foxcroft resigns over disability benefit cuts
Labour MP Vicky Foxcroft has resigned as government whip over the heavily criticised disability benefit cuts. In a statement late on Thursday night, she wrote: Whilst I continue to support the government in delivering the change the country so desperately needs, I cannot vote for the proposed reforms to disability benefits. The shock resignation comes as prime minister Keir Starmer faces a growing revolt over proposed cuts. And, Foxcroft’s annou…
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