A Labour welfare rebel has said he was still opposed to the government’s welfare bill, which he considers a “leap in the dark”, despite Keir Starmer’s climbdown last week.
Clive Efford was one of the more than 120 Labour MPs who backed a “reasoned amendment” to the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill, which would have torpedoed the proposed legislation on the grounds that it would push more people into poverty and due to concerns about a lack of consultation.
The amendment, in the name of senior Labour MP Meg Hillier, has since been withdrawn after negotiations with government officials extracted key concessions.
But there is speculation that approximately 50 Labour MPs could still vote against the bill at second reading on Tuesday. Efford has now revealed he is among that rumoured number.
Asked if he had changed his mind on the Bill, Efford told the BBC: “No I have not, I’m afraid. There are still £3.5 billion-worth of savings that are required in these measures and we don’t yet know the poverty impact that they will have.
“The original motion was asking for more time for us to understand the impact of these changes and that still applies to those people who will be adversely affected.”
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The comments came after Andy Burnham, the Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester, urged MPs to vote against the government’s welfare cuts on Tuesday, in a blow to the PM as he looks to secure enough support to get the legislation over its first parliamentary hurdle.
Burnham said the changes to the benefits system risked creating an “unfairness and divide” among disabled people.
Speaking at a panel event at Glastonbury Festival on Sunday, Burnham said: “What’s been announced is half a U-turn, a 50 per cent U-turn. In my view I’d hope that MPs vote against the whole Bill when it comes before Parliament.”
Efford, speaking on Monday morning, said he could not put a figure on the size of the rebellion. “I think there are a lot of people waiting to hear what the government is saying today who may be inclined to accept what the government has done”, he commented.
“For me the situation hasn’t changed for those people who will be adversely affected and until we know and understand the impact on them, we shouldn’t be taking what I think is a leap in the dark.”
Liz Kendall, the work and pensions secretary, is expected to deliver a statement to MPs on Monday afternoon to explain the changes the government has made to the bill.
Josh Self is editor of Politics.co.uk, follow him on Bluesky here and X here.
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