Sir Keir Starmer facing 'mother of all rebellions' on welfare reforms

Around a million people in England and Wales will lose their disability benefits as part of the welfare overhaul, experts believe, while young people will not be able to claim incapacity benefit.

At Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday, Sir Keir Starmer insisted that the current system was “morally and economically indefensible”.

However, Labour veteran Diane Abbott, the longest-serving female MP, said: “There is nothing moral about cutting benefits for what may be up to a million people.

“This is not about morality, this is about the Treasury’s wish to balance the country’s books on the back of the most vulnerable and poor people in this society.”

The Labour benches were noticeably quiet when Sir Keir was defending the policy at PMQs, and more and more MPs have become critical.

Normanton and Hemsworth MP Jon Trickett has said he will vote against the proposed changes.

Writing in the Mirror, the Labour MP said that Sir Keir and his Cabinet “are saying that they will cut the welfare bill by £5bn a year”.

“This can only mean that many truly vulnerable people will lose their benefits,” Mr Trickett wrote.

“Maybe it is your mum, your son, a neighbour or a friend.

“Cuts to welfare for the sick and disabled will make life miserable for millions; it’s a cruel way to treat people. It is wrong both morally and economically. I will vote against it.”

Leeds East MP Richard Burgon, who recently regained the Labour whip, said the Prime Minister was facing “the mother of all rebellions”.

He commented: “The Prime Minister was unable to answer a simple question today about why a disabled person who needs help to eat, wash and manage toilet needs could no longer get personal independent payments (Pip) under his proposals.

“The Government must drop this cruel proposal or it’ll face the mother of all rebellions.”

While Bradford East MP Imran Hussain said: “Penalising people with mental health conditions is cruel, when many can’t even get the help they need.

“Services are stretched, waiting lists are endless, and support is failing.

“Instead of punishment, we should be fixing a broken system that leaves people behind.”

And Conservative MP for Goole and Pocklington Sir David Davis questioned why the Government was not publishing the policy’s impact assessments until next week.

“This is a very complex area,” he said.

“The Government cannot have decided without these impact assessments having been completed.

“It is therefore wrong that they have not been published as, when they are published, they will be buried in other announcements at the Spring Statement.”