Labour rebellion grows over plans to axe over £5bn from benefits bill
Dozens of Labour MPs are reportedly planning to rebel over plans to axe £5 billion in benefits spending.
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Furious Labour MPs have said they will vote against legislation to cut the benefits bill - even if the Government makes concessions to appease them.
Rachel Reeves made the decision to tighten the belt on the Department for Work and Pensions in her spring statement last month, where she announced a £3.4billion cut to benefits.
Access to Personal Independence Payments will be tightened, and under-22s will no longer be able to get the health element of Universal Credit.
New claimants will also get a reduced health element of £50 a week – which will be frozen until the end of the decade.
Millions are expected to be hit by the changes, which will kick in over the coming years.
With the cuts set to be introduced to the House of Commons in early June, a major Labour rebellion is brewing on the back benches, the Guardian reports.
Rachael Maskell, the Labour MP for York Central, told the publication: “You can’t compromise with a trade-off under which you say you will take more children from poor families out of poverty by placing more disabled people into poverty. That simply cannot be right.
“The government really does need to start listening to MPs, civil society and the population at large because there is really widespread opposition to these policies.”
Angry MPs have also pointed to the fact they will be asked to vote on the cuts before the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has published its impact assessment - meaning the effects of these cuts won’t be entirely clear come June.
Last month, a spokesman for the government said that ministers had "a duty to fix the system" to ensure that people weren't "written off" from work, while people who need help still receive it.
He told reporters: "I think the Prime Minister has been clear there is both a moral and an economic case for fixing our broken social security system that's holding our people back, and our country back.
"Three million people are out of work for health reasons, and one in eight young people not currently in work, education or training.
"So we've got a duty to fix the system, to ensure that that safety net is always there for the most vulnerable and severely disabled, but also supports back into work, rather than leaving people written off."