Education Secretary Holding SEND Meetings With Labour MPs To Avoid Repeat Of Welfare Rebellion
3 min read
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson is leading an operation to engage Labour backbenchers over potential reforms to the special educational needs system as part of government efforts to avoid a repeat of the recent welfare backlash.
"Lessons have been learned" from the recent welfare rebellion, when swathes of Labour backbenchers accused the government of failing to engage with them on the proposed changes, one Labour MP told PoliticsHome.
Campaigners and MPs have voiced concerns over reported changes to the SEND system after the government was forced into a major climbdown over its welfare reforms earlier this month.
There is a strong consensus that the government will have to better communicate any changes to the Parliamentary Labour Party ahead of voting on any changes, with one Labour source telling PoliticsHome that "the storm around SEND reforms could be even worse than welfare".
"Either they get good at politics, or it gets slated, again, for doing the right thing but doing it badly. We cannot afford a repeat of welfare reform," the source said.
"The current SEND system is not working for children and parents and is completely unaffordable. So Labour is doing the right thing, to reform it. The Tories left us between a rock and a hard place with their SEND reforms."
Ministers have indicated that significant SEND reforms are on the table after they inherited a system described as "lose, lose, lose" by the previous Conservative education secretary Gillian Keegan.
The government is keen to move to a model whereby more pupils with SEND are educated in mainstream settings.
Phillipson told the Cabinet on Tuesday that the driving principle of this government is to secure better outcomes for children, acknowledging that while the prospect was challenging, it was being done with care.
However, there are concerns that Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) — statutory documents that give parents the legal right to support for their child — may not survive the reforms.
Early education minister Stephen Morgan said this week that concerned campaigners should not worry about SEND support being scaled back, but could not rule out EHCPs being scrapped.
Last week, the government avoided a major Labour rebellion by backbenchers over its welfare reforms, eventually being forced into a climbdown to pass the bill at its second reading.
The U-turns came amid many Labour MPs complaining about what they described as being ignored by Downing Street, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer himself accused of not spending enough time listening to his backbenchers.
"Phillipson is working her way through the PLP to make sure that everyone gets a fair hearing [on SEND]," one Labour MP told PoliticsHome.
"Lessons have been learned, and I expect to see a lot more outreach from Bridget and No 10 on this."
PoliticsHome understands that the Education Secretary has had lunch with a number of Labour MPs as part of the government's engagement with the backbenches.
Phillipson's apparent willingness to meet with members of the PLP has gone down well with potential rebels, with one telling PoliticsHome: "Bridget is a bit smarter than Liz [Kendall, Work & Pensions Secretary], I think!"
While SEND was expected to be raised by concerned MPs on Monday at a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party, a source told PoliticsHome that the topic was not broached in the end.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “Something needs to change, and while it is right that the government is looking at fundamental reform, it will be crucial that ministers are able to demonstrate that any proposals strengthen, not weaken, support for pupils with additional needs.
“Any reforms in this space will likely provoke strong reactions and it will be crucial that the government works closely with both parents and schools every step of the way."
Additional reporting by Harriet Symonds.
