London mayor joins rebellion against Starmer’s disability benefit cuts
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has backed a growing rebellion in the Labour party over Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s plans to cut disability benefits.
In a statement on Tuesday 24 June, Khan urged the government to reconsider key aspects of its proposed Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill, which aims to tighten eligibility criteria for disability benefits in a bid to control government spending and encourage the public to return to work where possible.
The bill has been a flashpoint for a massive rebellion in the Labour party, with now more than 130 MPs supporting a reasoned amendment to vote down the bill upon its second reading in Parliament.
In his statement on the proposed reforms to disability benefits, Khan said these changes could “destroy the financial safety net” for thousands of disabled and vulnerable Londoners.
He cited an analysis from Policy in Practice which examined the 440,000 Londoners claiming PIP and the 240,000 claiming the health element of UC4, finding that Londoners stand to lose a total of over £820 million as a result of the changes proposed in the bill.
The revised criteria for Personal Independence Payments (PIP), will lead to disabled Londoners losing up to £5,700 per year with up to 46% of current claimants affected, the analysis found.
It added that the proposed reforms would also raise the age of eligibility for disability benefits from 18 to 22, affecting young disabled adults, carers, and disabled women, and increasing housing insecurity for many.
Khan said he would like ministers to work with disabled Londoners to complete the promised review into PIP assessments before passing any reforms.
“Having looked at the analysis of the government’s plans, the impact on London will be substantial, and for too many disabled Londoners it will destroy their financial safety net,” Khan said.
“The Government must urgently think again. It must look again at the potential hardship these changes will force on thousands of vulnerable and disabled Londoners.”
“The additional employment and training support ministers have promised must be brought in as soon as possible, and proper transitional protections must be in place before anyone starts to lose their benefits,” he added.
Speaking on Tuesday 24 June at the NATO Summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Starmer confirmed the government would be pressing on with the vote and stressed the need to reform the system.
