Green Paper Related Discussions

I am of the opinion that they will not dismiss us that easily. I too would have thought like that until recently.

The Labour leadership have done something so deadly serious with proposing these truly sadistic cuts with such prospectivly catastrophic outcomes that no one will be able to sweep our concerns under the carpet.

After being ignored under the Tories for so many years, we are used to just being dismissed but however bad they were they came nowhere near to the complete destruction to our lives that Labour plan for us.

The fact that the Labour party have done this to us is very significant to Parliament and to the public too, however right wing the leadership like to be. I don't think our plight is going away, by any means. 😊

I've just read that it's in about a month's time but they didn't give a date unfortunately.

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1029629#Comment_1029629To be honest, there are so many different figures being bandied about that I would be hard pressed myself.

I've just heard though that three quarters of the Labour government majority in MPs that they got at the General Election are are objecting to the cuts in one way or the other. That's got to be good.

If you haven't read this article from ITV News from 3 days ago this is at least the most encouraging news of them all. Please watch the video too as it's even better than the article. 😊 Sorry about the awkward link but it does work.

https://www.itv.com/news/2025-05-16/government-considers-welfare-reform-concessions-as-labour-mps-threaten-to-revolt

Are Tories set to vote against Green Paper cuts?

News from Benefits and Work site

Most commentators have assumed that the Conservatives would always vote in favour of anything that resembled a benefits cut. But there now seems to be a possibility that the Tories are planning to support Labour rebels and vote against Labour’s Green Paper.

On 18 May, Conservative MP Helen Whately told the Standard: “Labour’s plans dodge the difficult decisions on welfare, leave more people out of work than they put in and will hit some of the nation’s poorest people.

“The sickness benefits bill is spiralling out of control and these rushed reforms will make things worse, not better.

“These plans are cruel, careless and clumsy. And it seems that even some of the people closest to Reeves agree with us, not her.”

What makes this total condemnation of the Green Paper particularly noteworthy is that Whately is the Conservative shadow secretary for work and pensions.  It seems unlikely that she would have been so outspoken in her criticism without party approval.

It is clear that the rebellion on Labour’s back benches has been growing in the two months since the Green Paper was published.

On 1 April, the Labour List website published the names of 27 MPs who said they would rebel against the government and 15 more who had expressed opposition to the Green Paper.

On 8 May, 42 Labour MPs wrote to the prime minister to say the cuts were impossible to support.

On 15 May, ITV reported that 50 Labour MPs were set to rebel, including the 42 who had signed the original letter.  100 MPs had also signed a private letter to Starmer urging the government to delay the changes and rethink its proposals. At least 6 MPs signed both letters.

Which suggests that somewhere in the region of 130 Labour MPs oppose the cuts, though there is no suggestion they would all vote against them.

The labour leadership are said to be considering a number of ways to buy off the rebels.  These include changes to the winter fuel payment means-test, changes to the two child limit or changes to the benefits cap. 

The idea will be to tell rebel MPs that the government doesn’t have the cash help these groups and also to drop its Green Paper cuts.

Whether this is a pitch that will work, remains to be seen.

But there seems to be at least a possibility that the Conservatives are now positioning themselves to take advantage of Labour’s disarray.

https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/are-tories-set-to-vote-against-green-paper-cuts

Making my way through the list Labour MPs that are voting for the cuts, emailing them all. They are in Government to help run the country and look out for the British People. They have mentally abused us for weeks upon weeks. And they are okay that we will all suffer badly through their decision.

If they vote I hope they will never hold a seat in Government again as we won't forget 👍

If HMG issue a 3 line whip, any Labour MP who disobeys will be a persona non grata. Losing their seat in 2028/9 won't frighten them as much as ending their careers in their first year in Parliament.

What I meant was them destroying their chance at getting a PPS or Junior Minister gig as Labour MPs.

I certainly wouldn't last as an MP, because I would refuse to be intimidated. Local people who care don't have a hope of being selected, only corporate drones who are parachuted in. What a farce.

Btw, I never met the man, I have just had my first glimpse of him as I looked up his name on the Internet.

I knew his old man, who was a former Royal Marine and police officer, as well as my dad's uncle. We used to visit them in Bootle from NE Scotland.