Keir Starmer is still facing the prospect of a major rebellion over his welfare cuts following warnings from Labour MPs that government concessions do not assuage their concerns.
Ministers had hoped that a series of key concessions would win over Labour rebels when MPs vote on welfare changes on Tuesday evening.
The partial U-turn included protecting people currently claiming personal independence payment (Pip) from changes due to come into effect in November 2026, and rowing back plans to cut the health-related element of universal credit.
But a statement in the House of Commons on Monday, delivered by work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall, received a negative response.
Rachael Maskell has now tabled a “reasoned amendment” to the bill, which a fellow 38 Labour MPs have signed. In total, 66 cross-party MPs have signed their name to Maskell’s motion.
If passed, the reasoned amendment would block the proposed legislation.
Speaking in the commons, Maskell told the work and pensions secretary: “I cannot countenance sick and disabled people being denied support to enable them to be independent in the future, and 150,000 people being pushed into deeper poverty. Nor can disabled people across our country support these measures.
“It is a matter of conscience.”
The government’s own impact assessment, published Monday, shows 150,000 people will be pushed into poverty by 2030 as a result of the cuts. That figure is down from the 250,000 estimated to be left in poverty under the original plans, before the government U-turned.
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Due to the size of Starmer’s majority, a rebellion would need at least 83 Labour MPs to vote against the bill alongside every opposition MP to defeat the government. However, 39 MPs would be enough to deliver the largest rebellion of the PM’s tenure in office, mere days ahead of the first anniversary of Labour’s 2024 election victory.
Maskell has said that there are “so many more” MPs prepared to vote down the welfare bill than those publicly signed up to her amendment.
She told the BBC on Tuesday morning: “There are many people who have said they are done with reasoned amendments and are going to come in and vote down that bill.
“So many more people say this is not the right thing to do, it is not a Labour thing to do.”
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and the mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, are among those urging the prime minister to drop his welfare proposals.
Marie Tidball, a Labour MP who is also disabled, said she cannot support the proposals, as having no public consultation on the plans “excludes the voices of disabled people.”
She has not currently signed her name to Maskell’s amendment.
Labour MP suggests welfare plans have ‘excluded the voices of disabled people’
Speaking after Kendall addressed MPs, Tidball asked: “Why did the Department for Work and Pensions choose not to consult with disabled people on PIP proposals and what work will her department do to win back the trust of disabled people?”
Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, declared on Monday she will whip her MPs to vote against the proposals, describing them as “not serious welfare reform” and saying ministers had “watered down the small savings Labour were making”.
Last week, over 120 Labour MPs signed a “reasoned amendment” proposed by Treasury select committee chair Dame Meg Hillier that would have stopped the legislation if approved.
Debbie Abrahams, who backed Hillier’s amendment and was part of the team negotiating with Downing Street last week, suggested on Monday that ministers had rowed back on what had been agreed.
The work and pensions select committee chair told ITV News on Monday that she “implores the government to think again”.
MPs will debate the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill in the commons at lunchtime before a vote is expected at 7pm.
In full, Maskell’s reasoned amendment reads: “That this House, whilst noting the need for the reform of the social security system, and agreeing with the Government’s principles for providing support to people into work and protecting people who cannot work, declines to give a Second Reading to the Universal Credit and Personal Independent Payment Bill because its provisions have not been subject to a formal consultation with disabled people, or co-produced with them, or their carers; because the Office for Budget Responsibility is not due to publish its analysis of the employment impact of these reforms until the autumn of 2025; because the majority of the additional employment support funding will not be in place until the end of the decade; because while acknowledging protection for current claimants, the Government has yet to produce its own impact assessment on the impact of future claimants of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Universal Credit limited capability for work and related activity and the number of people, including children, who will fall into poverty or experience worsening mental or physical health as a result, nor how many carers will lose carers allowance; because the Government has not published an assessment of the impact of these reforms on health or care needs; and because the Government is still awaiting the findings of the Minister for Social Security and Disability’s review into the assessment for PIP and Sir Charlie Mayfield’s independent review into the role of employers and government in boosting the employment of disabled people and people with long-term health conditions.”
The full list of signatories to the amendment, according to the House of Commons order paper for 1 July 2025, is as follows:
- Rachael Maskell
- Neil Duncan-Jordan
- Clive Efford
- Lorraine Beavers
- Chris Hinchliff
- Mary Glindon
- Cat Eccles
- Paula Barker
- Cat Smith
- Olivia Blake
- Peter Lamb
- Mr Richard Quigley
- Ms Marie Rimmer
- Emma Lewell
- Richard Burgon
- Kate Osborne
- Rebecca Long Bailey
- Bell Ribeiro-Addy
- Jon Trickett
- Dr Simon Opher
- Ian Lavery
- Apsana Begum
- Ian Byrne
- John McDonnell
- Nadia Whittome
- Ms Diane Abbott
- Kim Johnson
- Andy McDonald
- Brian Leishman
- Imran Hussain
- Steve Witherden
- Mary Kelly Foy
- Clive Lewis
- Grahame Morris
- Claire Hanna
- Sorcha Eastwood
- Siân Berry
- Carla Denyer
- Ellie Chowns
- Liz Saville Roberts
- Ben Lake
- Ann Davies
- Llinos Medi
- Adrian Ramsay
- Pam Cox
- Shockat Adam
- Ayoub Khan
- Mr Adnan Hussain
- Iqbal Mohamed
- Jeremy Corbyn
- Stephen Flynn
- Pete Wishart
- Kirsty Blackman
- Brendan O’Hara
- Stephen Gethins
- Chris Law
- Dave Doogan
- Seamus Logan
- Graham Leadbitter
- Zarah Sultana
- Maureen Burke
- Abtisam Mohamed
- Navendu Mishra
- Terry Jermy
- Ms Stella Creasy
- Yasmin Qureshi
Josh Self is editor of Politics.co.uk, follow him on Bluesky here and X here.
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