Labour rebel who tried to thwart Welfare Reform Bill claims MPs were 'bullied ' into voting for it

The government's Welfare Reform bill has cleared its first Commons hurdle.

The legislation cleared its first hurdle by 335 votes to 260, majority 75.

Rachel Maskell, the Labour MP for York Central, told LBC a number of her colleagues had been "bullied" into passing the bill.

She said the treatment left them "deeply distressed".

"Clearly pressure was put on my colleagues," Ms Maskell said.

"Some of my colleagues have described it as bullying, and they've been deeply distressed at what has happened and that is completely inappropriate in the Labour Party.

"So I hope all of those issues are reviewed and reflected on so that we can really be the party we were created to be as one, as a strong voice for people across the country, but to also hold up those values."

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Ms Maskell did not provide any further details into the claims.

Labour said they reject the premise and it is not something they recognise. They said the claims were "unsubstantiated".

When pushed to provide details on the "bullying" she said: "Well, I don't know. I wasn't involved"

"Colleagues said they were deeply distressed out of the conversations that they've had, and they described it as bullying. And I've heard that from a number of sources," she continued.

Mother of the House Diane Abbott, Stella Creasy (Walthamstow), Rebecca Long Bailey (Salford) and Brian Leishman (Alloa and Grangemouth) were among the 49 Labour MPs who unsuccessfully tried to block the welfare reform Bill at second reading.

Sir Keir Starmer was forced to abandon a key plank of his welfare reform package in the face of the rebellion.

A further concession was offered to rebel Labour MPs with just an hour to go before the vote.

Cuts to Personal Independence Payments - commonly known as PIP - will now not take place until after a review.

The decision to remove key parts of the Bill is remarkable for a Government with a working majority of 165 and after just under a year in office.

Ms Maskell said: "I voted against the legislation today because I was representing my constituents, but also disabled people across the country. They've had no voice in these processes and to know that 150,000 people would be pushed into poverty is a step way too far for me.

"The Labour Party was created to keep people from poverty and to ensure that disabled people had real agency. And I don't think the legislation served those purposes today. So I couldn't support that. That crossed a line for me. But I think ultimately today has been an extraordinary day in Parliament.

"We saw a bill disintegrating before our eyes but also we heard a very powerful debate I think where many cases were made about constituents own experience around what it is like to live in a very ableist world and we need really reflect on the kind of society we are when disabled people can't even have a voice in their own future.

"After this vote, however, I am really concerned about disabled people because they will be anxious because I think all of us are quite confused at various points in the day as to what's happening and where we are and that clarity is really needed for them now."

Richard Burgon, Labour MP for Leeds East, says that the bill should have been pulled and amendment

He told LBC's Aggie Chambre that Labour MPs have been "treated like mugs- they've been asked to vote for a bill, unamended, to save political face."

Mr Burgon continued: "This bill still contains billions of pounds of cuts for disabled people. It's not a good day for the Labour party.

"This is the winter fuel bill x100. This does not pass the test of 'can you explain it to your constituents?"

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch accused ministers of "utter capitulation" and said the legislation was now "pointless". She said: "They should bin it, do their homework, and come back with something serious. Starmer cannot govern."

Josh Fenton Glynn Labour MP for Calder Valley, who voted for the bill, told LBC: "I was prepared to vote against the government as I was really concerned.

"They changed enough that I felt confident the new bill will help sort out the system."

Mr Fenton Glynn said he changed his mind when it became "clear the government was listening" and did not make changed to the personal independence payment (PIP).

Another supporter, Sadik Al-Hassan, Labour MP for North Somerset, said: "The negative aspects of the bill have been stripped out."

The Government shelved plans to restrict PIP and any changes will now only come after a review of the benefit.

The climbdown came just 90 minutes before MPs were due to vote for the first time on the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill.

It will cause a major headache for Chancellor Rachel Reeves as the welfare squeeze was originally meant to save £4.8 billion a year, which was subsequently reduced to £2.3 billion when the Bill was first watered down last week.

Postponing any changes to the eligibility criteria for Pip means it is now uncertain how much the reforms will save from the soaring welfare bill.