Labour MPs threaten rebellion over benefit cuts for millions

Plans for cuts to benefits which volition interaction much than 3 cardinal households volition beryllium published contiguous - arsenic the authorities faces a conflict to person dozens of Labour MPs to backmost them.

Liz Kendall, the payment secretary, has acceptable retired proposals to chopped £5bn from the payment budget - which she has said is "unsustainable" and "trapping radical successful payment dependency".

Disabled radical claiming PIP, the idiosyncratic independency outgo which helps radical - immoderate of them moving - with the accrued costs of regular living, look having their awards reviewed from the extremity of adjacent year.

An estimated 800,000 existent and aboriginal PIP recipients volition suffer an mean of £4,500 a year, according to a authorities assessment.

The authorities besides intends to frost the wellness constituent of Universal Credit, claimed by much than 2 cardinal people, astatine £97 a week during this parliament, and chopped the complaint to £50 for caller claimants.

Under unit from Labour MPs acrophobic peculiarly that changes to PIP volition thrust families into poverty, Ms Kendall volition denote caller protections successful the measure today.

Sky News understands they see a 13-week modulation play for those losing PIP; a higher complaint of Universal Credit for radical with the astir superior conditions; and a committedness that disabled radical who instrumentality a occupation volition not instantly suffer their benefits.

Some 40 Labour MPs person signed a missive refusing to enactment the cuts; and dozens of others person concerns, including ministers.

Ms Kendall is determined to property ahead, and has said the fig of caller PIP claimants has doubled since 2019 - astatine 34,000, up from 15,000.

Ministers accidental 90% of existent claimants volition not suffer their benefits; and that galore radical volition beryllium amended disconnected - with the full payment measure acceptable to proceed to emergence implicit this parliament.

To support the benefit, claimants indispensable people a minimum of 4 points retired of 8 connected 1 of the regular surviving criteria.

Ministers accidental claimants with the astir superior conditions, who cannot work, volition not look changeless reassessments.

A £1bn programme is proposed, intended to springiness disabled radical who tin enactment tailored enactment to find jobs.

Some Labour MPs person angrily opposed the reforms - which volition beryllium voted connected aboriginal this month.

Last nighttime successful a parliamentary debate, Labour MP for Poole Neil Duncan-Jordan disputed the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) figures.

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He said: "We already cognize that PIP is an underclaimed benefit. The summation successful claims is simply a grounds of declining nationalist wellness and accrued fiscal hardship disabled radical are facing.

"We person the aforesaid proportionality of radical connected working-age benefits arsenic successful 2015. This is not an economical necessity, it's a governmental choice."

Rachael Maskell, Labour MP for York, called the proposals "devastating ". She said: "We indispensable alteration absorption and not proceed with these cuts."

Disability groups accidental they fearfulness an summation successful suicides and intelligence wellness conditions.

The government's ain appraisal forecast an other 250,000 radical could beryllium pushed into poorness - including 50,000 children. It did not see the interaction of radical moving into work.

Ms Kendall was urged by MPs connected the Commons Work and Pensions committee to hold the reforms, to transportation retired an interaction assessment, but wrote backmost to the committee saying the reforms were excessively urgent to hold - and that MPs would beryllium capable to amend the legislation.