“I’ve not had as much quality time with my colleagues since the Brexit wars,” a minister told me with a wry smile.A remark that gets to the heart of the row over changes to the benefits system within the Labour Party: this is a government with a big majority, that has already performed a big U-turn and yet is still involved in a big persuasion job.Attempting to defuse a backbench rebellion is not something that’s meant to happen, one year into government, with a working majority of 165.But ministers were forced to offer concessions last week after more than 120 Labour MPs threatened to derail their plans.Stricter eligibility criteria for getting personal independence payment (Pip), the main disability benefit in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, will now only apply to those claiming after November 2026, rather than existing claimants.Ministers have also promised a review into the assessment process in partnership with disability organisations, due to be completed by autumn 2026. The prime minister himself will be getting stuck into some persuading today, making the case that these changes are, as he sees it, not only in keeping with Labour values but essential to ensure the long-term stability of the welfare state.But if Monday’s Commons statement from Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall – in which she laid out concessions to the bill – was intended to reassure Labour MPs, it is an open question as to whether it worked.”It turned a fair few c …
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[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nn”I’ve not had as much quality time with my colleagues since the Brexit wars,” a minister told me with a wry smile.A remark that gets to the heart of the row over changes to the benefits system within the Labour Party: this is a government with a big majority, that has already performed a big U-turn and yet is still involved in a big persuasion job.Attempting to defuse a backbench rebellion is not something that’s meant to happen, one year into government, with a working majority of 165.But ministers were forced to offer concessions last week after more than 120 Labour MPs threatened to derail their plans.Stricter eligibility criteria for getting personal independence payment (Pip), the main disability benefit in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, will now only apply to those claiming after November 2026, rather than existing claimants.Ministers have also promised a review into the assessment process in partnership with disability organisations, due to be completed by autumn 2026. The prime minister himself will be getting stuck into some persuading today, making the case that these changes are, as he sees it, not only in keeping with Labour values but essential to ensure the long-term stability of the welfare state.But if Monday’s Commons statement from Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall – in which she laid out concessions to the bill – was intended to reassure Labour MPs, it is an open question as to whether it worked.”It turned a fair few c …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]
