Labour benefits cuts latest: Rebels still threatening to reject welfare bill as Kendall says U-turn will cost £2.5bn – UK Times

Labour backbench rebels have asked the Government to give more information on how the changes to Pip (personal independence payment) will affect groups.

Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow West) said: “I’m very grateful to my colleagues in the Labour front bench for listening to what backbenchers have been saying for months now, and for making so many changes.

“However, I didn’t see any changes that affect young people, particularly care-experienced young people. So I wonder if the Secretary of State will cast some light on what discussions are ongoing with young people about the processes involving them?”

Work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall said the government was establishing a youth panel, adding: “I’m sure there’s far more that we can be doing in future, and I urge her to work with us to make sure their views are heard.”

Stella Creasy (Walthamstow) said: “As it stands, the legal advice we’ve had is that these proposals will breach our obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, something the previous government did and we rightly challenged them on it.

“So that we do not make the same mistake, will she give a commitment to write into a Bill that these proposals will be compliant with that commitment to make sure that persons with disabilities have social protection, and the enjoyment of that right without discrimination on the basis of their disability.”

Ms Kendall said: “I would not be making any changes that I believed were incompatible with the law.”

Labour MP Marie Tidball said she had previously “engaged with the Government, making it clear I could not support the proposals on Pip”.

Ms Tidball told the Commons: “Our manifesto committed to championing the rights of disabled people, and to the principle of working with disabled people. Having no public consultation on these plans excludes the voices of disabled people.

“This is not just about process, this makes disabled people worse off. The principle of fairness means disabled people have a legitimate expectation to be consulted, and in order to fulfil the Equality Act section 149 public sector equality duty.

“Why did the Department for Work and Pensions choose not to consult with disabled people on Pip proposals, and what work will her department do to win back the trust of disabled people?”

Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall described the Penistone and Stocksbridge MP as a “powerful voice” and continued: “We are absolutely committed to co-producing this Pip review led by Sir Stephen Timms. She may know we are also setting up collaboration committees on access to work, and on pathways to work, to make sure we really get this right.

“I look forward to meeting with her and many other disabled people and their organisations to absolutely make sure we get this right as we go forward.”

In an interview with The Independent days before Labour marks its first year in power, the education secretary also said government had its “ups and downs” and suggested better times were ahead.

Labour’s Debbie Abrahams urged the Government not to “predetermine” the review of the Pip (personal independence payment) scheme.

Speaking in the Commons, the chairwoman of the Work and Pensions Committee said: “(Liz Kendall) said the four points won’t apply until November 2026, and that the review will report in November 2026, but surely the Pip review should determine the new process.

“If this is being truly co-produced with disabled people in their organisations, the review should determine both the new process, the new points and the new descriptors, and we shouldn’t predetermine it at four points.”

Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall replied: “The review will conclude by autumn 2026 and we will then implement any changes arriving from that as quickly as possible.

“I would say that we have to get the right balance here, because we do seek to, I mean, I’ve been a longstanding champion of co-production, including when I was a shadow minister for social care, we have to do that properly. But the four point minimum will be in place for new claimants as we look to make changes for the future.”

Proposals unveiled will mean no existing claimants of the Universal Credit standard allowance and health top-up “are put into poverty as a result of the changes” in the welfare bill, Liz Kendall said,

The work and pensions secretary told the Commons: “The third issue of concern was that our plans to freeze the Universal Credit health top-up for existing claimants and for future claimants with severe lifelong health conditions and those at the end of life would not protect incomes in real terms, even with the increase in the Universal Credit standard allowance.

“So, I can today confirm that we will ensure for these groups, the combined value of the Universal Credit standard allowance and the health top-up will rise at least in line with inflation, protecting their incomes from these benefits in real terms every year for the rest of this Parliament.

“Together with the changes to our proposals for Pip (personal independence payment), this will ensure no existing claimants are put into poverty as a result of the changes in this Bill.”

Liz Kendall confirmed a number of changes to the government’s welfare reforms in the Commons this afternoon.

The work and pensions secretary is hoping the changes will quell a Labour rebellion. Here are the concessions she has announced:

• Confirming no existing claimants of personal independence payments (Pip) or the health-related element of universal credit will lost them
• Publishing terms of the review into Pip.
• Investing £300m of employment support for disabled people.
• Ensuring benefits rise in line with inflation.

The Independent’s political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:

A key architect of the welfare rebellion has said the government’s concessions do not go far enough ahead of the vote, suggesting that there could still be a significant rebellion on Tuesday.

It comes after the government announced that existing PIP claimants would not be impacted by the cuts.

Debbie Abrahams, who was part of the team negotiating with Downing Street last week, said she “absolutely recognises the significance of these concessions” but warned that some disabled people with long term conditions will still “be affected by the changes that are currently in the bill”.

Asked whether she will vote against the bill on Tuesday, Ms Abrahams told ITV: “We’ll have to wait and see.

“The actual offer that was put to one of the negotiating team was not actually what we thought we had negotiated on Wednesday and Thursday and there are some issues around that

“We absolutely recognise these are good concessions but we’re not quite there yet.”

Changes to the Government’s welfare reforms will cost “around £2.5 billion in 2029/30”, Liz Kendall has told MPs.

The work and pensions secretary said: “I know honourable many honourable members on this side of the House have been concerned that this isn’t enough.

“So I can today announce we are putting an additional £300 million into employment support for sick and disabled people.”

She said that all the government’s changes will cost around £2.5bn by 2030.

The Independent’s political editor David Maddox reports:

Work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall is in a much more emollient mood than she was when she first announced reforms to the benefits system.

The work and pensions secretary is leaning much more heavily on positive “Labour measures” about supporting those unable to work or who need help getting back into work.

It is a much better approach than her “we need to save £5bn of savings” approach when she first announced the reforms in March.

Since then the threat of a massive rebellion has forced the government to change its tone.

But the silence behind Ms Kendall on the Labour benches seems to suggest that she still has work to do to persuade her reluctant colleagues to support the reforms.