Over a dozen Labour MPs from the capital have signed an amendment that would enable an opportunity to reject the government’s controversial welfare reform bill.
The proposed Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill is attempting to encourage people currently on disability and sickness benefits into the workforce and enforce stricter criteria for eligibility to become a claimant.
Estimates indicate that Londoners who claim Universal Credit and PIP could be set to lose £820m with over 130 backbench MPs signing the amendment to rebel against the proposal in total so far.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “There is a clear moral case, which is: the current system doesn’t help those who want to get into work.
“I think it’s 1,000 people a day going on to PIP, the equivalent of a city the size of Leicester each year.
“That is not a system that can be left unreformed.”
The Labour MPs from London that have signed the amendment are:
• Meg Hillier (Hackney South and Shoreditch)
• Helen Hayes (Dulwich and West Norwood)
• Florence Eshalomi (Brentford and Isleworth)
• Vicky Foxcroft (Lewisham North)
• Ben Coleman (Chelsea and Fulham)
• Marsha De Cordova (Walthamstow)
• Dr Rosena Allin-Khan (Tooting)
• Kate Osamor (Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
• Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Clapham and Brixton Hill)
• Aspana Begum (Poplar and Limehouse)
• John McDonnell (Hayes and Harlington)
• Diane Abbott (Hackney North and Stoke Newington)
• Clive Efford (Eltham and Chislehurst)
• Dawn Butler (Brent East)
Vicky Foxcroft resigned from her position as a Government Whip over her disagreement with the proposal.
Marsha De Cordova, MP for Walthamstow, said: “The Bill is nothing more than dangerous and will have a devastating impact on the lives of so many disabled people in my constituency.”
In the bill, the health element of Universal Credit will be frozen for existing recipients from April 2026 and it will be halved for new claimants, with the government claiming that it will save £5bn every year by 2030.
The tighter eligibility criteria for PIP could impact up to 46% of current claimants, with disabled Londoners potentially facing losses of between £3,800 and £5,700 to their income per year
The government have stated that a £1 billion employment support package will be made available to assist long-term sick and disabled people make the transition into employment.
For the rebelling MPs to be successful, the amendment tabled must be selected by Speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, and approved with a majority vote in the House of Commons.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is the most prominent figure within the Labour Party to publicly urge the government to abandon the bill.
Khan said: “What we can’t do is take away the vital safety net that so many vulnerable and disabled Londoners rely upon.”
“Having looked at the analysis of the government’s plans, the impact on London will be substantial, and for too many disabled Londoners it will destroy their financial safety net.”
Ten major charities, including Citizens Advice and the Child Poverty Action Group, have issued a joint briefing to condemn the bill.
In the briefing, the collective urged MPs to vote against the bill and warned that people with a wide range of health conditions and needs will be severely impacted.
Angela Rayner confirmed during Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday that a vote on the bill will take place on Tuesday.
Featured Image Credit: Marcin Nowak on Unsplash
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