Blow for Keir Starmer as Labour frontbencher quits over disability benefit cuts
Vicky Foxcroft said "with a heavy heart" she would be giving up her role as a government whip, saying changes she'd wanted to see made to the welfare reform had not happened.
Keir Starmer has suffered a blow as a frontbencher quit in protest over planned cuts to disability benefits.
Vicky Foxcroft said "with a heavy heart" she would be giving up her role as a government whip, saying changes she'd wanted to see made to the welfare reform had not happened.
"I absolutely understand the need to address the ever-increasing welfare bill in these difficult economic times," Ms Foxcroft wrote in her letter of resignation.
"But I have always believed this could and should be done by supporting more disabled people into work."
She went on: "I do not believe that cuts to personal independence payment (PIP) and the health element of Universal Credit should be part of the solution."
Government whips are in charge of morale and discipline. It would have been Ms Foxcroft's role to convince wavering Labour MPs to back rhe bill and corral them through the voting lobbies.
She added: "I have wrestled with whether I should resign or remain in the Government and fight for change from within. Sadly it is now seems that we are not going to get the changes I desperately wanted to see.
"I therefore tender my resignation as I know I will not be able to do the job that is required of me and whip - or indeed vote - for reforms which include cuts to disabled people's finances."
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall argued she was taking "the road of compassion, opportunity and dignity" as she sought to soften the impact by introducing a 13-week transition period so existing claimants avoid a cliff edge. But campaigners said the last-minute changes to the plans would do little to mitigate the devastating impact.
Around 3.2 million families could be hit by the overall reforms by 2030, with an average loss of £1,720 per year, according to the Government's analysis in March. The document said estimates did not include the impact of the £1 billion employment support package "which we expect to mitigate the poverty impact".
Around 800,000 people are expected to be impacted by PIP changes, including 370,000 current claimants and 430,000 future recipients, with an average loss of £4,500 per year.
The tightening of eligibility will mean those who can't wash half of their body or cook a meal unaided no longer qualify for the daily living element - unless they have another condition.
The UC health element, which is claimed by more than two million people, will be frozen at £97 a week for existing claimants until 2029/30, and reduced to £50 a week for new claimants from 2026/27.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
26 minutes ago
- Reuters
Norway plans temporary ban on power-intensive cryptocurrency mining
COPENHAGEN, June 20 (Reuters) - Norway aims to impose a temporary ban on the establishment of new data centres that mine cryptocurrency with the most power-intensive technology, in order to conserve electricity for other industries, the Nordic country's government said on Friday. "The Labour Party government has a clear intention to limit the mining of cryptocurrency in Norway as much as possible," Minister for Digitalization and Public Administration Karianne Tung said in a statement. "Cryptocurrency mining is very power-intensive and generates little in the way of jobs and income for the local community," she added. A temporary ban could be introduced during the autumn of 2025, the government said.
North Wales Chronicle
32 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Minister insists no major welfare rebellion on the horizon after whip quits
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said Vicky Foxcroft was the only frontbencher who had spoken to her about resigning. MPs must 'look to their conscience' when deciding how to vote, Ms Nandy said, but added the Government believes the Commons will back the reforms. Lewisham North MP Ms Foxcroft said she understood 'the need to address the ever-increasing welfare bill' but did not believe the proposed cuts 'should be part of the solution', in her resignation letter to the Prime Minister. Sir Keir Starmer has faced a backlash from some Labour MPs over proposals to reform the welfare system, which are expected to save up to £5 billion a year. Ms Nandy said a 'handful' of backbench MPs had expressed concerns to her about the 'detail' of the Bill, but added she was confident the Government had listened and the package of reforms was 'absolutely right'. 'It would be wrong to say that when you bring forward big reforms, there aren't concerns and there aren't dissenting voices, of course there are. But Vicky is the only frontbencher that I've had a conversation with about resigning,' she told BBC Breakfast. She told Times Radio that Ms Foxcroft 'did the honourable thing' by standing down. 'If you can't stick with collective responsibility in Government, you have to resign. 'She's done the honourable thing. It will enable her to have a voice, and she – as the former shadow disabilities minister – is very keen to use it. 'But I think most Labour MPs, including her, agree with the principle of the reforms that we're making.' She added: 'It's now up to every MP, as it always is at moments of major reform, to look to their conscience and vote the way that they believe is right. 'And we believe this package of reforms are right and will carry the confidence of the House.' Ms Foxcroft is the second Labour frontbencher to go in protest over policy issues after Anneliese Dodds quit as development minister over cuts to the aid budget. Rebel Labour MPs welcomed Ms Foxcroft's decision, with Hartlepool's Jonathan Brash saying he had the 'utmost respect' for her 'principled stand' and Crewe and Nantwich's Connor Naismith saying it 'must have been an incredibly difficult decision but she should be commended for standing by her principles'. She said she had wrestled with whether to resign or remain in the Government and 'fight from within'. 'Sadly it… now seems that we are not going to get the changes I desperately wanted to see. 'I therefore tender my resignation as I know I will not be able to do the job that is required of me and whip – or indeed vote – for reforms which include cuts to disabled people's finances.' Legislation introduced into Parliament on Wednesday includes a tightening of the criteria for the main disability payment in England, the personal independence payment (Pip). Ministers also want to cut the sickness-related element of universal credit (UC), and delay access to it so only those aged 22 and over can claim it. The package of reforms is aimed at encouraging more people off sickness benefits and into work, but dozens of Labour rebels said last month that the proposals were 'impossible to support'. Pip is aimed at helping with extra living costs if someone has a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability and difficulty doing certain everyday tasks or getting around because of their condition. Data published on Tuesday showed 3.7 million people in England and Wales claimed Pip, up from 2.05 million in 2019, with teenagers and young adults making up a growing proportion of claimants. Around 800,000 people are set to lose out on the benefit under the Government's proposals, according to an impact assessment published alongside Wednesday's legislation. The assessment also confirmed a previous estimate that 250,000 more people, including 50,000 children, are likely to fall into relative poverty after housing costs in 2029/30, although the Government repeated this does not take into account the potentially positive impact of £1 billion annual funding by then for measures to support people into work. Ms Foxcroft received hugs and other gestures of support from her Labour backbench colleagues as she appeared in the Commons on Friday as MPs took part in votes on the assisted dying Bill. Several colleagues approached her, offering warm words, hugs, an arm on the shoulder or a pat on the back. Responding to her resignation, a Government spokesperson said: 'This Labour Government was elected to deliver change. The broken welfare system we inherited is failing the sick and most vulnerable and holding too many young people back. It is fair and responsible to fix it. 'Our principled reforms will ensure those who can work should, that those who want to work are properly supported, and that those with most severe disabilities and health conditions are protected.'
North Wales Chronicle
32 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Bank of England boss not ‘convinced' of need for digital pound
Andrew Bailey, speaking at a conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, said central banks have to be alert to the growing 'non-money system'. Mr Bailey said he remains 'to be convinced that we need to create new forms of money – such as central bank retail digital currency – to achieve' benefits such as smarter payments and fighting fraud. The Bank of England and the Government are exploring the launch of a digital pound which could be used by households and businesses in the UK alongside cash and bank deposits. Mr Bailey's remarks revealed doubts over the creation of a digital pound aimed at everyday consumers, which is being designed but with no certainty it will be officially launched. He also stressed that cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin were a 'risky asset class and should be seen as such'. The UK's financial watchdog recently said it planned to lift a ban on some crypto-linked investments for customers, despite warning that people could 'lose all their money' from buying it. Meanwhile, Mr Bailey said it was hard to say whether banks had faced 'excessive' post-financial crisis regulation. He said a challenging question was 'whether we have over-protected the banking system via excessive regulation, and in so doing pushed more risk into non-banks which would be more safely housed in banks'. 'Put another way, have we increased overall financial stability risk by raising the bar too high in banks? It's a fair enough question, but intrinsically hard to answer,' he said. He insisted that 'we have rightly raised regulatory standards for banks in the light of a financial crisis, the effects of which continue to be felt almost 15 years on'.
