Concessions to welfare reforms revealed after Labour MPs force retreat

Changes to payment reforms, forced connected the authorities by rebel Labour MPs, are being revealed contiguous up of a important vote.

The archetypal measure restricted eligibility for the idiosyncratic independency outgo (pip) and chopped the health-related constituent of cosmopolitan recognition (UC).

The government, which insisted payment costs were becoming unsustainable, was forced into a U-turn aft 126 Labour backbenchers signed an amendment that would person halted the measure astatine its archetypal Commons hurdle.

Explainer: What are the payment concessions?

While the amendment is expected to beryllium withdrawn, aft changes that appeased immoderate Labour MPs, others are inactive unhappy and considering backing a akin amendment to beryllium tabled today.

Here are the main changes to the UC and pip bill:

• existent pip claimants volition support their benefits; stricter eligibility requirements volition lone use to caller claims from November 2026
• a reappraisal of the pip assessment, which volition person input from disabled people
• existing recipients of the health-related constituent of UC volition person their incomes protected successful existent terms

Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said successful a connection that the authorities present aims to present a "fairer, much compassionate system" up of the 2nd speechmaking and ballot connected Tuesday.

"We indispensable physique a payment strategy that provides information for those who cannot enactment and the close enactment for those who can. Too often, disabled radical consciousness trapped, disquieted that if they effort to work, they could suffer the enactment they beryllium on.

"That is wherefore we are taking enactment to region those barriers, enactment disabled radical to unrecorded with dignity and independence, and unfastened routes into employment for those who privation to prosecute it.

"This is astir delivering a fairer, much compassionate strategy arsenic portion of our Plan for Change which supports radical to thrive, immoderate their circumstances."

On Saturday, Sir Keir Starmer said fixing the UK's payment strategy was a "moral imperative". The authorities claimed cuts to sickness and disablement benefits would shave £5bn disconnected the payment bill and get much radical into work.

The Resolution Foundation believes the concessions could outgo arsenic overmuch arsenic £3bn, portion the Institute for Fiscal Studies warned that the changes marque taxation rises much likely.

Read more:
Starmer's astir damaging U-turn yet
Liz Kendall defends payment retreat

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Health Secretary Wes Streeting told Sky News that payment measure changes person enactment Labour successful a overmuch amended position up of tomorrow's vote.

On Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Mr Streeting said: "There were things that we didn't get right, we've enactment right, and there'll beryllium a statement astir aboriginal amendments and things, I'm sure, arsenic it goes done successful the accustomed way."

On the aforesaid programme, shadiness enactment and pensions caput Helen Whately repeatedly refused to accidental whether the Conservatives would backmost the bill, but would reappraisal the proposals aft the minister's connection later.

"We person said that if determination are much savings that really bring the payment measure down, if they'll get much radical into work, and if they perpetrate to utilizing the savings to debar taxation cuts successful the autumn, which looks highly improbable astatine the moment, past they person our support."

The Liberal Democrats program to ballot against the measure and person called for the authorities to velocity up access-to-work decisions to assistance radical participate the workforce.