Sir Keir Starmer’s welfare bill has passed through the House of Commons, but only after a major U-turn on key proposals in an effort to calm a growing rebellion within the Labour Party.
The government dropped controversial plans to change how people qualify for Personal Independence Payments (PIP), which had sparked anger among Labour MPs. Originally, the Bill proposed stricter criteria that would have made it harder for some disabled people to receive support.
However, this clause was removed following widespread criticism, and ministers confirmed that no changes will be made until a full review known as the Timms Review is completed.
Despite this concession, 49 Labour MPs still voted against the Bill, making it the biggest rebellion of Starmer’s premiership so far.
Another 149 MPs backed a separate amendment to scrap the legislation altogether.
The climbdown has drawn heavy criticism from opposition parties, who called it a sign of weak leadership and policy chaos. Some accused Labour of failing to deliver meaningful welfare reform and warned the changes leave a significant gap in funding plans.
While the Bill has now cleared this stage in Parliament, uncertainty remains over whether the dropped PIP changes will ever be brought back. For now, the government insists that all current PIP recipients will continue to receive their payments.
