Labour MP tells LBC benefits U-turn ‘too little too late’, warning ‘significant possibility’ Starmer will lose vote
Keir Starmer’s U-turn on proposed changes to the welfare system are ‘too little too late’, Labour MP Cat Eccles said, adding that the government faces a ‘significant possibility’ of getting defeated in Tuesday’s vote on the bill.
Listen to this article
The Prime Minister made a slew of concessions to the welfare reforms on Friday after attempts to phone around rebel MPs failed, with the PM facing the very real prospect of a rebellion.
But some Labour MPs claim the concessions aren’t enough, and that the Prime Minister waited too long to listen to their concerns, as the proposals were met with intense scrutiny since they were first introduced in March.
Many of us, including me, have been raising concerns since then,” Cat Eccles MP told LBC’s Paul Brand, adding: “So three months we've been raising our concerns and we've been batted off saying that we're trying to start a coup on the government or that we don't want to fix the problem.”
“But it was in our manifesto to fix the broken welfare system. Nobody disagrees that it needs fixing because it's simply not working for people. And, yes, the cost is unsustainable. But for me and others, what we can't stomach is the idea of taking money away from vulnerable people before we've got essential support in place.
Read more: Labour has 'moral imperative' to fix 'failing' welfare system, PM declares after benefits U-turn
Read more: Health service sees patients as ‘inconvenience’, says new NHS England chief
“And that's where my morals and values lie, is really protecting the most vulnerable, those who need our help, you know, in my constituency and across the country.”
Ms Eccles is one of more than 120 Labour MPs who have opposed the Government's welfare reforms, as they ready themselves to vote against the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Bill.
Some 126 backbenchers had signed an amendment that would halt the Bill in its tracks when it faces its first Commons hurdle on July 1.
The list of MPs putting their name to the amendment had been growing throughout the week, but Downing Street said that they would be pressing on with next week’s vote as Starmer defended the concessions, saying they strike “the right balance”.
Asked if the PM has a moral compass, Ms Eccles said she thinks he’s “been advised badly”.
“I think the messaging that's been coming out from number 10 hasn't been helpful. It's created this rhetoric of people on benefits, being scroungers or lazy.”
She added: “At the end of the day, we are supposed to be a team. But sadly, some of the team that is, as backbenchers who have raised legitimate concerns haven't been listened to until now.
“And as we know there have been concessions now, but it's far too late for us to be able to see that detail and understand properly how it would affect people.
“I mean, we were already waiting on impact assessments and the Mayfield Review that are going to be published in Autumn, but now with these changes that they're suggesting as well, it opens up a whole other can of worms about what's that going to look like for people.”
The MP for Stourbridge said she still plans to vote against the amendment, saying she ‘hasn’t been reassured whatsoever’ with the concessions, as reports suggest the government is confident the bill will pass and the rebellion against it has calmed down.
But despite Downing Street now being confident the watered-down reforms will pass, Labour heavyweight and left-winger Diane Abbott said reports of the rebellion’s death “are greatly exaggerated”.
Ms Eccles also believes there is a “significant possibility” the government could lose Tuesday’s vote, marking yet another embarrassing moment for Starmer’s government.
“It's just really disappointing that after the number of U-turns that we have had, like you outlined, Paul, at the start, that this could potentially be another one of those moments.
“I think all of this could have been avoided if we could have just pressed pause, you know, perhaps looked at this over the summer, over recess, and looked at it again in the autumn,” she said.
She is not the only MP that is disappointed with Starmer’s handling of the parliamentary Labour party beyond his cabinet, as some backbenchers have called for a reset of relations between Number 10 and the rest of the party.
Speaking to the PA news agency, a number of Labour backbenchers expressed deeper frustration with how Downing Street has handled its backbenchers since last year’s election.
The Government’s original package had restricted eligibility for Pip, the main disability payment in England, as well as cutting the health-related element of universal credit.
Existing recipients were to be given a 13-week phase-out period of financial support in an earlier move that was seen as a bid to head off opposition.
Now, the changes to Pip will be implemented in November 2026 and apply to new claimants only, while all existing recipients of the health element of universal credit will have their incomes protected in real terms.
The concessions on Pip alone protect some 370,000 people currently receiving the allowance who were set to lose out following reassessment, but critics claim it could lead to a ‘two-tier’ system where existing claimants get more support than future claimants.