Major concessions have put the government in a “better position” to pass welfare reforms, the health secretary said, as he admitted Labour’s leadership mishandled the rollout of its flagship bill.Wes Streeting said Labour MPs had raised “substantial” concerns about planned welfare cuts, and the government strengthen its plans as a result.Last week, the prime minister was forced into a dramatic U-turn to avoid a House of Commons defeat after more than 120 Labour backbenchers threatened to vote down his plans.”We are in a much better position this week than last week,” Streeting told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, and said the government has to “learn” from narrowly avoiding rebellion.Streeting said the government had shifted “not just the package but also the approach” following criticism that the original proposals risked undermining support for disabled people.Last week, the government faced a growing rebellion from Labour MPs who warned the planned welfare cuts, aimed at saving £5bn annually, were rushed and would hurt vulnerable people.The government’s initial plans, aimed at bringing down the welfare bill, would have made it harder for people to claim personal independence payment (Pip), a benefit paid to 3.7 million people with long-term physical or mental health conditions.The backlash culminated in a late-night announcement of major concessions to the rebel MPs – including limiting Pip cuts to only new claimants.It reversed its plans to freeze the health-related component of universal credit, and the payment will now rise in line with inflation for existing recipients.The government also announced …
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[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nnMajor concessions have put the government in a “better position” to pass welfare reforms, the health secretary said, as he admitted Labour’s leadership mishandled the rollout of its flagship bill.Wes Streeting said Labour MPs had raised “substantial” concerns about planned welfare cuts, and the government strengthen its plans as a result.Last week, the prime minister was forced into a dramatic U-turn to avoid a House of Commons defeat after more than 120 Labour backbenchers threatened to vote down his plans.”We are in a much better position this week than last week,” Streeting told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, and said the government has to “learn” from narrowly avoiding rebellion.Streeting said the government had shifted “not just the package but also the approach” following criticism that the original proposals risked undermining support for disabled people.Last week, the government faced a growing rebellion from Labour MPs who warned the planned welfare cuts, aimed at saving £5bn annually, were rushed and would hurt vulnerable people.The government’s initial plans, aimed at bringing down the welfare bill, would have made it harder for people to claim personal independence payment (Pip), a benefit paid to 3.7 million people with long-term physical or mental health conditions.The backlash culminated in a late-night announcement of major concessions to the rebel MPs – including limiting Pip cuts to only new claimants.It reversed its plans to freeze the health-related component of universal credit, and the payment will now rise in line with inflation for existing recipients.The government also announced …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]
