Government may allow ministers to abstain on disability benefit cuts vote without losing whip, fearing rebellion
17 April 2025, 20:35
Ministers might be allowed to abstain on the vote on disability benefit cuts this summer, as the government scurries to avoid a large-scale Labour rebellion.
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The move would signify a major climbdown compared to previous significant votes, when rebels were suspended from the party for not voting in line with the leadership.
The vote, which is due to be held in June, will likely be a contentious affair as many MPs are reportedly worried about the impact of the controversial benefit cuts on their constituents.
Labour has already endured a number of rebellions in their first nine months in power. During Keir Starmer’s first month as Prime Minister, seven rebel MPs were suspended for voting to scrap the two-child benefit cap.
One solution Labour is reportedly considering is to allow members to abstain without losing the party whip, marking a major climbdown from previous votes, when rebel MPs have been disciplined or suspended.
Ministers are reportedly also considering ways to make the benefit cuts less damaging, including proposals to spend more on measures to tackle child poverty, including benefits for poorer parents with children under the age of five, according to the Guardian.
One Labour MP told the newspaper: “When people abstained on the winter fuel vote, they were warned that it had been taken by the leadership as voting against the government.
“This time, however, a number of MPs have been offered the opportunity to abstain.”
A government source told the Guardian that the whipping rules for the vote have not yet been decided, but reportedly did not deny that potential rebels have been given the chance to abstain without punishment.
MPs have signalled their distaste about the shakeup to benefits, as a rebellion of backbenchers is brewing, likely causing the PM to rethink his usual punishments.
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Roughly 55 MPs are reportedly prepared to rebel at the vote, which is set to go through next month, as more than 100 ministers are still unsure on how to vote.
Labour backbenchers are reportedly also irritated about having to vote the benefit cuts without a review from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) on how effective the government’s plans to get people back to work will be.
“The obvious truth is that people will lose money under these proposals – including those who clearly don’t deserve to,” one MP told the Guardian.
“This can’t simply be spun away. The mood in Westminster may seem calm, but this issue isn’t going to fade quietly.”
Last month, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall laid out moves to save around £5billion telling MPs the current benefits system is ‘unsustainable’ and 'holding the country back.'
Labour MP Clive Lewis said the Government’s welfare reforms are set to cause “pain and difficulty” for millions of Britons, warning voters will not believe that “this is the kind of action that a Labour government takes”.
Former Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell has argued the welfare cuts would result in “immense suffering”.
