Labour MPs table 'reasoned amendment' in attempt to halt welfare bill

Moderate Labour MPs are readying a "reasoned amendment" to reason the government's disablement payment cuts, which volition beryllium published arsenic soon arsenic tomorrow, Sky News understands.

MPs who person not yet gone nationalist with their criticisms are being encouraged to enactment a hold to measure the interaction of cuts to idiosyncratic independency payments.

It is an effort to unit the authorities to h2o down the payment changes, and if backed by ample numbers of Labour MPs, could airs a large situation to the legislation.

Supporters of the amendment assertion arsenic galore arsenic 80 MPs are backing it.

But Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle indispensable prime the amendment erstwhile MPs statement the authorities astatine 2nd speechmaking adjacent week successful bid to halt the government's payment reforms.

Opponents of the changes to sickness and disablement benefits accidental sentiment among Labour MPs is hardening, with dozens said to person expressed concerns to enactment bosses.

The MPs are expected to accidental they recognise the lawsuit for societal information betterment to assistance radical into work, but privation a hold until some the results of a reappraisal into PIP assessments by the disablement curate and the autumn OBR forecast, which volition acceptable retired what the interaction connected employment volition be, are published.

Some MPs, who person not yet spoken publicly, told Sky News the chances of the authorities losing the ballot were "under-priced".

It is understood that No 10 officials person told acrophobic MPs they would beryllium "voting with Nigel Farage" and "will bring america each down" if they ballot against the changes.

Tonight, Liz Kendall told a gathering of Labour MPs that they indispensable backmost the changes, saying the endurance of the payment authorities depended connected it.

Some existent PIP claimants are acceptable to suffer their benefits erstwhile they are reassessed from the extremity of adjacent year.

Ms Kendall said: "There is nary way to societal justness based connected greater payment spending alone.

"The way to fairer nine - 1 wherever everyone thrives, wherever radical who tin enactment get the enactment they need, and wherever we support those who cannot - that is the way we question to physique with our reforms.

"Our plans are rooted successful fairness - for those who request enactment and for taxpayers.

"They are astir ensuring the payment authorities survives, truthful determination is ever a information nett for those who request it."

Among the Labour MPs who person privately expressed concerns astir the reforms are immoderate inferior ministers and aides.

A enactment whip resigned her station past week to reason the reforms.

The archetypal ballot connected the authorities is adjacent week, and a decision would beryllium a large stroke to Sir Keir Starmer's plans to chopped the payment bill, which the authorities accidental is becoming "unsustainable".

Ms Kendall has been reassuring MPs that 9 retired of 10 PIP claimants volition support their benefits, and those who are astir susceptible volition beryllium protected.