Labour Rebels Stand Firm As Government Tries To Sell Welfare Concessions
Liz Kendall defended the Welfare Bill to the Commons (Alamy)
4 min read
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall has defended the government’s welfare bill concessions as “positive changes”, despite leading rebels warning they still feel unable to vote for the legislation.
Over 130 Labour MPs signed a reasoned amendment to the welfare legislation last week, which would have effectively blocked the government’s proposed reforms.
In the face of an extraordinary House of Commons defeat, the government confirmed on Friday that it would make significant concessions, including ensuring that existing Personal Independence Payment recipients will remain on the current system, and the proposed changes to eligibility will only apply to new claims from November 2026.
Kendall gave a statement to the Commons on Monday afternoon to outline the concessions and promote the contents of the bill as measures to "ensure the welfare state survives".
“There have also been real concerns about our initial proposals, we have listened carefully, and we are making positive changes as a result,” Kendall said, insisting that while welfare reform is “never easy”, it is “essential” to create “the path to a fairer society where everyone can thrive”.
However, there are growing signs that the rebellion has not yet been quashed.
"More is yet to come of the rebellion," one minister told PoliticsHome after consulting with backbench colleagues.
After announcing the concessions last week, the expectation was that the government would win over enough rebels to get the bill over the line in the House of Commons vote scheduled for Tuesday.
However, by Monday afternoon it was looking more precarious, with committee chairs who have led negotiations with Downing Street over concessions expressing concern about the bill in its current form.
Work and pensions committee chair Debbie Abrahams – one of the architects of the reasoned amendment last week – told ITV that she will still not support the bill unless further concessions are made.
"I absolutely recognise the significance of these concessions,” she said.
The senior Labour MP said that while the move to protect existing PIP claimants from changes was a significant pledge, "there are still going to be disabled people, people with long-term conditions, who will be affected by the changes that are currently on the Bill".
She also claimed that the government had rowed back on what it had offered to rebels last week.
The latest point of contention relates to the timing of a planned comprehensive review into PIP eligibility.
The Department for Work and Pensions today confirmed that the review would not be published until Autumn 2026 — the same time as when stricter new rules for new PIP claimants are due to come into effect.
This prompted senior Labour MPs like Treasury committee chair Meg Hillier to express concern in the Commons that new rules for new PIP claimants will come into effect before the government can implement the findings of the review.
Women and equalities committee chair Sarah Owen also questioned the timings.
“What is the logic of making changes to future claimants before finishing the Timms review?” Owens asked Kendall in the Commons.
“Could this lead to not just two tiers, but three tiers: those existing claimants, those new claimants who will lose out, and those post-Timms review?”
London mayor Sadiq Khan has also said that he has not yet been won over by the government's welfare concessions.
“I still have serious concerns about these plans,” he told LBC.
“I’ve met too many Londoners who do work, but through no fault of their own, need support from the state, and they’re really worried they’ll lose that. The mission of the Labour government should be to support people out of poverty, and this bill still needs radical transformation to be fit for purpose.
“I’m hoping today and tomorrow the government go further to address the concerns many of us have.”
An official spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer did not rule out the prospect of further concessions to rebels when questioned by reporters this morning.
"We are not going to get ahead of the vote," they said.
"Ultimately, there's broad consensus that we have to reform the broken system we inherited, and that is failing people every single day. As you'd expect, the government continues to engage closely with parliamentary colleagues about the bill and the changes it will bring.”
Over the weekend, rebel Labour MP Rachel Maskell was asking MPs to sign a new reasoned amendment to block the welfare reform bill. PoliticsHome understands that around 40 people have agreed to sign Maskell's amendment.
Just over 80 Labour MPs would need to vote against the bill on Tuesday to overturn Starmer's large House of Commons majority.
Newly published government modelling shows 150,000 people are expected to fall into relative poverty as a result of the changes, a reduction on the 250,000 forecast in March.
Government sources were today keen to stress that this modelling does not take into account the impact of policy decisions taken elsewhere to alleviate poverty.
Additional reporting by Adam Payne.
