Labour MP quits government in first frontbench resignation over proposed welfare reforms
19 June 2025, 20:51 | Updated: 20 June 2025, 08:25
Labour MP Vicky Foxcroft has resigned as a Government whip over the party's welfare proposals.
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The MP for Lewisham North said in a letter to the Prime Minister that she could not vote "for reforms which include cuts to disabled people's finances".
It is the first resignation over the cuts, after many Labour MPs have criticised the “awful” cuts to welfare, which the Government hopes can save up to £5 billion a year.
Ms Foxcroft, who served as the Lord Commissioner of the Treasury, said: "With a heavy heart, I have written to the Prime Minister to tender my resignation as a whip.
"Whilst I will continue to support the government in delivering the change the country so desperately needs, I cannot vote in favour of the proposed reforms to disability benefits."
The resignation will come as a blow to Sir Keir Starmer, who has been trying to stave off a mass rebellion within his party over the proposed cuts.
Among the most significant moves in the bill is the tightening of eligibility for personal independence payments (Pip), a benefit aimed at helping those with disability or long-term illness with increased living costs.
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to be affected by the changes to Pip eligibility, which are expected to account for the largest proportion of savings the Government hopes to make.
Ms Foxcroft, the former shadow disability minister, wrote that the welfare reforms system is in "desperate need of reform", but said she could not support the reforms.
She added: "I absolutely understand the need to address the ever-increasing welfare bill in these difficult economic times, but I have always believed this could and should be done by supporting more disabled people into work.
"I do not believe that cuts to personal independence payment (PIP) and the health element of Universal Credit should be part of the solution."
The former government whip said she has "wrestled" with whether to resign over the cuts or not, but said: "Sadly it is now seems that we are not going to get the changes I desperately wanted to see.
"I therefore tender my resignation as I know I will not be able to do the job that is required of me and whip – or indeed vote – for reforms which include cuts to disabled people's finances."
She added: "I am incredibly proud to have served as part of the first Labour government in 14 years and hope that ministers will revisit these reforms so that I can continue to support the Government in delivering for the people of this country."
The resignation is a sign of the growing rebellion Starmer faces over the controversial policy.
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The government is likely to face a Commons stand-off with backbench Labour MPs over their plans, with dozens of them last month saying the proposals were “impossible to support”.
In what could be seen as an attempt to head off some opposition, the legislation – known as the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill – will give existing claimants a 13-week period of financial support.
The Department for Work and Pensions said this will apply to those affected by changes to the Pip daily living component, including those who lose their eligibility to Carers Allowance and the carer’s element of UC.
But campaigners, including disability equality charity Scope, said the longer transition period, up from an originally expected four weeks, “will only temporarily delay a cut and disabled people will continue to be living with extra costs when it comes to an end”.
But the Prime Minister has said he was “determined” to ensure the reforms go through because he feels the welfare system “doesn’t work for anyone”.
Despite the massive rebellion he might be facing, Starmer said the system “doesn’t work for those that want to get back to work, and it certainly doesn’t work for the taxpayer.”
The latest data, published on Tuesday, showed that more than 3.7 million people in England and Wales are claiming Pip, with teenagers and young adults making up a growing proportion.
The figures, published by the Department for Work and Pensions, showed there were a record 3.74 million people in England and Wales claiming Pip as of April this year.
The figure is up from 3.69 million in January and a jump of 200,000 from 3.54 million a year earlier.
Data for Pip claimants begins in January 2019, when the number stood at 2.05 million.
Pip is a benefit aimed at helping with extra living costs if someone has a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability and difficulty doing certain everyday tasks or getting around because of their condition.
An impact assessment published alongside Wednesday’s Bill introduction, confirmed previously published estimates that changes to Pip entitlement rules could see about 800,000 people lose out, with an average loss of £4,500 per year.
Ms Kendall previously said there are 1,000 new Pip awards every day – “the equivalent of adding a city the size of Leicester every single year”.
250,000 more people, including 50,000 children, are likely to fall into relative poverty after housing costs in 2029/2030, although the Government repeated that this does not take into account the potentially positive impact of £1 billion annual funding by then for measures to support people into work.
Changes to UC are expected to see an estimated 2.25 million current recipients of the health element impacted, with an average loss of £500 per year.
But the Government said around 3.9 million households not on the UC health element are expected to have an average annual gain of £265 from the increase in the standard UC allowance.
