A number of Labour MPs have said they will vote against the government’s proposed cuts to disability benefits.
Nine Labour MPs voiced concern over the government’s plans to make it harder for people with less severe conditions to claim disability payments during a debate on Wednesday.
Calls to rethink the benefits cuts, as well as other policies, have been growing after Labour lost 187 council seats during the local election last week.
Disability minister Sir Stephen Timms told the MPs the goal of the reforms was to make sure the welfare system was “financially sustainable in the long term”.
In March, the government announced a major welfare shake-up aimed at saving money and supporting people who can work to find jobs.
Ministers said changes to a key disability benefit called personal independence payment (Pip) and universal credit (UC) would save around £5bn a year by the end of 2030 and get more people into work.
Overall, the government spends £65bn a year on health and disability-related benefits. Before the government announced the Pip and UC changes, this was projected to increase to £100bn by 2029.
The government estimated that 3.2 million families could be worse off as a result of the reforms, while 3.8 million families will be better off by 2030.
The government is expected to pass a new law to make the welfare changes, giving MPs a chance to vote on the plans.
Speaking during the debate in Westminster Hall, Diane Abbott, the Labour MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, said the government was “making a conscious choice to balance its books on the backs of people on welfare”.
Ian Byrne, who represents Liverpool West Derby, said he would “swim through vomit to vote against” proposed welfare changes.
Labour MPs Richard Burgon, Rachael Maskell, Andy McDonald, Cat Eccles, Nadia Whittome, Imran Hussain, Steve Witherden and Ian Lavery also said they would vote against the government’s proposals.
They were joined by John McDonnell, an independent MP for Hayes and Harlington who had the whip removed by Labour for rebelling against the government over the two-child benefit cap.
Disability minister Sir Stephen Timms defended the proposals, saying it was not sustainable for welfare spending to rise at the current rate.
“The current system produces poor employment outcomes, high economic inactivity, low living standards, high costs to the taxpayer. It needs to change,” he said.
“We want a more proactive, pro-work system that supports people better and supports the economy as well.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has come under increasing pressure to change course on some policy decisions.
At Prime Minister Questions on Wednesday, Sir Keir defended the decision to axe winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners.
It came after a group of about 45 Labour MPs representing seats in northern England and the Midlands joined those urging the government to rethink the move.
The planned changes to disability benefits could become the next big political flashpoint, with legislation likely to be brought to the House of Commons in June.
The BBC has been told some potential rebels are being assured they won’t lose the party whip if they abstain – or make themselves scarce – when the vote comes.
The government is not at risk of defeat, given Labour has a large majority, but a sizable rebellion could show the extent of the discontent within the party.