Green Paper Related Discussions
Comments
-
A human rights lawyer threatening of no promotion and basically the sack if they don’t agree with him . In an employment tribunal he would be fined . He clearly doesn’t believe in democracy so should be disbarred.
What does contingency plans mean if it has to be pulled ? Do they mean scrap the whole bill ?
1 -
God I swear this and other things are really messing with my head, I'm seriously considering having my meds increased for the second time since the green paper came out just to stay sane. I'm living in a permanent state of utter dread and terror it's like they are purposely trying to drive us to the brink!
Let's all laugh at the irony of how much much this has cost 'working people' in taxes with my medication increases and extra doctors visits. I wish there was a way to see how much extrawe've had to use the NHS since this started
2 -
Remember when he said country before party during the election? Yet another lie
1 -
I think it’s referring to the planned savings of 5bn but I’m guessing
0 -
So if the bill gets scrapped before it goes to the vote they need to find another way of getting that £5 billion ?
0 -
I can’t believe the cheek of them all . Posing with waspi women then stabbing them in the back , claiming they’d scrap uc as it’s demeaning. Literally could go on all day with the things they’ve all said. Now in office they’re all completely the opposite. So why vote down everything the Tory’s did when they so obviously believed in the Tory ideals ?
2 -
yes, if the bill for whatever reason gets scrapped for good, they’ll have to find the savings elsewhere.
0 -
Not sure what to make of it but Daily express running two reports claiming Starmer would like to u turn but Reeves has added it in to her savings . I can’t post the link but wonder if it’s another “ leak “
1 -
Seems to me if they shifting the goal posts so you can't score the points it's like them saying you were lying in the past.
If yer got pip before for the condition you have and now you don't but nothing has changed then the last years people didn't warrant it. Crazy.
1 -
Keir Starmer needs £5bn to stop Labour civil war - but Rachel Reeves just spent it!
PM Keir Starmer is facing a massive revolt from Labour MPs that threatens his Parliamentary majority.
He’d love to buy them off, but thanks to Rachel Reeves, he can’t afford to do so. That's because the savings have effectively been spent, even before they're banked.
In a bid to plug the black hole in the nation’s finances, the Chancellor announced in her Spring Statement that she would slash £5billion from disability benefits.
That includes tightening eligibility for the personal independence payment (PIP), cutting sickness-related universal credit, and restricting access for under-22s.
The backlash has been fierce.
Critics claim the government is taking cash from people who struggle to get out of bed, let alone into work.
Around 80 Labour MPs may rebel, just short of the 83 needed to wipe out Starmer’s majority of 165.
At least a dozen government figures are threatening to resign if the vote, due on 1 July, goes ahead.
The mood is turning ugly as Starmer refuses to make any further concessions. Labour whips are getting tough, warning rebels they’ll be blacklisted from ministerial jobs.
Starmer has already been forced into a U-turn over the winter fuel payment. This time, though, Reeves has made that impossible.
The money’s already gone.
Don't miss... Rachel Reeves pushes us £17.7bn closer to bankruptcy - Labour calls it stability [LATEST]
Reeves has lost her grip on the nation’s finances. She left herself with just £9.9billion of fiscal headroom after October’s budget – despite pulling in £40billion of extra tax.
That’s because she spent an extra £30billion, and waved through huge public sector pay rises without asking for any productivity in return.
She borrowed £20.2billion in April, and another £17.7billion in May. Month by month, we are heading closer to bankruptcy.
Reeves is blaming the Tories, global instability and Trump tariffs, but this is her mess. The economy is shrinking, inflation refuses to fall and her tax hikes have backfired.
Her Budget national insurance raid on employers has helped destroy 275,000 jobs. Her clampdown on wealthy non-doms risks driving money and talent out of the country, and lose the Treasury more than it gains.
The Iran war is a wildcard, especially if it sends the oil price soaring.
Now the disability savings are on the line too. That £5billion has already been baked into her figures. Without it, her numbers don’t add up.
If Starmer backs down, Reeves will need to find the money from somewhere else.
Most experts already think further tax hikes are coming in October, possibly as much as £24billion to £30billion.
She may now need to add another £5billion to that.
4 -
Thanks Bella ,
I wonder if it’s all bs or starmer getting ready to stab reeves in the back again. 🙏🤞
I noticed daily express were posting articles about how to get pip etc days before the pip uc speech Wednesday.
0 -
Starmer isn't in charge. He is clearly afraid of reeves and kendal. He has no backbone.
0 -
I think he’d throw his own mother under the bus for his career let alone reeves and Kendall especially as he’s not a fan of women anyway . He’s already thrown reeves under the bus once then it was Philip’s and cooper . I’m not expecting it but I wouldn’t be surprised either if that makes sense 🤞🙏
1 -
Thi flashed up on my news feed.
Jump to contentUK News Website of the Year 2024
Starmer clamps down on Labour welfare rebelsPM will force opponents within party to back him or vote against the reforms
8Gift this article free
In March, hundreds of protesters marched towards the House of Commons to demonstrate against welfare cuts Credit: Mike Kemp/GettyDominic PennaPolitical Correspondent21 June 2025 3:27pm BST
Sir Keir Starmer is set to clamp down on Labour rebels by forcing them to show up to next week’s vote on benefit cuts.
Backbenchers opposed to the Government’s sweeping welfare reforms said their permission to be absent from Parliament on July 1 has now been withdrawn.
More than 100 Labour MPs are understood to be prepared to revolt over the Prime Minister’s plans to bring down the benefits bill by £4.3 billion.
The plans mean that only the most disabled adults could claim Personal Independence Payments, while about 250,000 people are projected to be pushed into poverty.
Advertisement
When a Commons rebellion is deemed likely, MPs are often “slipped” – granted permission by their party whips not to attend – to ensure they do not vote legislation down.
But it is understood that the Government has taken the opposite approach and expects Labour MPs to show up and support the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill.
The Government’s working majority in the Commons is 165, meaning that 83 MPs would need to oppose the cuts to force a parliamentary defeat.
One MP planned to attend an event at a school in their constituency on Jul 1 until they were informed they would no longer be able to do so.
“They have cancelled everyone’s slips that day,” they said. “I was meant to be at a thing at my local primary school.
“When I found out that was when the vote was going to be, I thought maybe I would vote against the Bill at its third reading rather than its second.
“But then they cancelled my slip and I thought, okay, that has made my decision for me.”
Thousands of protesters opposed to benefit cuts for people with disabilities descended on Whitehall on June 7 Credit: Zuma Press/Alamy
The MP accused Downing Street of “very bad management” and claimed its approach would backfire by increasing the size of the revolt.
“Everyone I speak to, it’s not whether they’re going to support it, it’s whether they’re going to abstain or vote against,” they added.
“It’s the same with winter fuel and grooming gangs – it’s another hill we’re being marched up. There’s a repeated theme of a bunker mentality in No 10 and thinking they know best.”
Advertisement
A second MP was going to be on an overseas trip at the start of July, which has now been cancelled altogether on account of the vote.
“We had visas, we had flights, we had everything booked and we had to cancel it,” they said.
‘Fundamental concerns not addressed’
After weeks of reflecting on the issue, the MP said they had told their whip last week they could not vote for the Bill and added that the same was true of many of their colleagues.
“At the moment, I can’t see them getting it through in its current form. I’m not interested in trying to cause trouble.
“But they need to change the details of the Bill. It’s slightly different to the green paper, but the fundamental concerns that people have had haven’t really been addressed.
Advertisement
“There’s some positive stuff and some positive intentions, but the cliff-edge that this creates is just too sharp.”
More Government frontbenchers are said to be on “resignation watch” over the cuts after Vicky Foxcroft quit as a whip last week.
Vicky Foxcroft resigned as a Labour whip over the Government’s welfare cuts Credit: John Phillips/Getty Images
In a letter to Sir Keir, Ms Foxcroft, a former shadow minister for disabled people, said she could not support “reforms which include cuts to disabled people’s finances”.
One rebel said there were “clearly people on resignation watch”, but another downplayed the prospect of further resignations before MPs had tried to extract more concessions.
Last week, Sir Keir held a number of one-to-one meetings with those poised to vote against the cuts.
The meetings, which were first reported by Sky News, came days after a drop-in event for concerned MPs with Claire Reynolds, Sir Keir’s political director in Downing Street.
Advertisement
Liz Kendall, the Work and Pensions Secretary, has also held a number of meetings with backbenchers in recent weeks aimed at easing their concerns over the Bill.
Ms Kendall believes that she has a strong argument to make and that at the heart of the reforms is a push to get long-term sick and disabled people back into work where possible.
Join the conversation
Show8commentsThe Telegraph values your comments but kindly requests all posts are on topic, constructive and respectful. Please review our commenting policy.
Related Topics
More stories
Starmer: I’ll face down rebels on benefit cuts
Benefits rebellion means welfare crackdown is ‘not in the bag’
Labour whip quits over Starmer’s welfare cuts
Labour welfare reforms threaten to backfire as benefit claims hit record high
Labour’s 1970s employment rights bill could send Britain over the edge
The benefits system is out of control
More from News
- British stealth fighter jet stranded in India for over a week
- Schools cancel sports day because it is too hot
- Mohamed Fayed paid spies to discover ‘truth’ about Diana’s death
- Live ‘Iranian spy’ arrested in Cyprus for ‘plotting terror attack on British base’
- ‘Tax is theft’: it’s time the Tories remembered that eternal truth
- HS2 staff ordered to come to office more
2 - British stealth fighter jet stranded in India for over a week
-
Wow he really didn’t believe in free speech or democracy. To me it seems as though he thinks he doesn’t have enough support to give backbenchers to right to abstain. What do you think ?
They must all be thinking this is the biggest chance yet to get rid of him . This is a real rollercoaster , thanks for posting fuzzy
1
Categories
- All Categories
- 15.1K Start here and say hello!
- 7.1K Coffee lounge
- 86 Games den
- 1.7K People power
- 115 Announcements and information
- 23.9K Talk about life
- 5.6K Everyday life
- 352 Current affairs
- 2.4K Families and carers
- 863 Education and skills
- 1.9K Work
- 515 Money and bills
- 3.6K Housing and independent living
- 1K Transport and travel
- 876 Relationships
- 254 Sex and intimacy
- 1.5K Mental health and wellbeing
- 2.4K Talk about your impairment
- 859 Rare, invisible, and undiagnosed conditions
- 920 Neurological impairments and pain
- 2.1K Cerebral Palsy Network
- 1.2K Autism and neurodiversity
- 38.9K Talk about your benefits
- 5.9K Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- 19.4K PIP, DLA, ADP and AA
- 8K Universal Credit (UC)
- 5.6K Benefits and income