Politics

Bracing for Backbench Revolt over Starmer’s Welfare Cuts

Published on June 24, 2025

Sir Keir Starmer is facing a serious wobble from his own troops as around 70–100 Labour MPs throw down the gauntlet against his £5 billion cut to benefits. They’ve signed an amendment, led by Treasury select committee chair Meg Hillier and backed by ex-whip Vicky Foxcroft, calling for extra consultation on the welfare proposals.

Foxcroft last week resigned from her whip role and made it clear she simply “cannot vote for reforms which include cuts to disabled people’s finances”. She argues people with disabilities need pathways into work, not a whack to the cash they rely on, according to the GB News.

Meg Hillier has been pushing for delay rather than derailment. “We all want the Labour Government to succeed in getting people back into work and supporting those who can’t,” she told The Guardian. “We don’t want to defeat the Government but we want the government to think again. We are being asked to vote before consultation with disabled people and before impact assessments”.

Labour sources say No 10 is preparing for its largest backbench rebellion to date when the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill hits the floor. The vote’s set for early July. Starmer has been clear: the welfare system needs reform and he’s determined to push ahead to bring down what he’s described as an “unsustainable” benefits bill.

Yet the rebels are equally firm. The amendment—due to be published Tuesday—doesn’t aim to wreck the bill, but rather to delay it until proper consultation is carried out and impact assessments shared. Hillier stresses that MPs aren’t rejecting the overall goal of getting people into work, but think the proposed benefit cut risks causing real harm, particularly to disabled people.

Estimates suggest up to 1.2 million disabled individuals could see parts of their support trimmed if the PIP changes go ahead. A staggering 250,000 more could be pushed into poverty, according to the government’s own figures—a point the rebels frequently highlight,reported sky News.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has warned potential rebels of punishment, including losing the party whip, though she stopped short of confirming this would happen. Party whips are reportedly leaning on waverers with threats to derail their ministerial hopes or shuffle them out of future roles.

Vicky Foxcroft’s departure from the frontbench adds serious momentum to the rebellion. As a former shadow disabilities minister, her stance speaks volumes. “I have wrestled with whether I should resign or remain in the government and fight for change from within,” she wrote, but concluded that she “cannot do the job that is required of me and whip—or indeed vote—for reforms which include cuts to disabled people’s finances”, reported the Times.

With a reported 108 MPs now set to sign the amendment—including senior committee chairs like Meg Hillier and other prominent names—the government will struggle to win the second reading if the rebels stick to their guns. Some estimates say as many as 170 MPs have quietly expressed concern, though exactly how many will actively rebel remains unclear .

Starmer and Liz Kendall (the work and pensions secretary) are arguing the changes are rooted in fairness—to protect a sustainable welfare state—and to nudge people into work. But for many MPs, the proposed reforms don’t adequately protect those most in need, and the lack of consultation with disabled claimants feels rushed and unfair.

So here we are: a government determined to press on with reform, a growing band of MPs calling for pause and greater scrutiny, and a rebellion that could stretch Starmer’s authority more than any before. All eyes will be on Parliament next week, as Labour spills onto the frontline—and not over Tory turmoil, but over Starmer’s own plans.

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