Starmer Under Pressure as Labour MPs Push Back Against Proposed Disability Benefit Changes

[Social Media]

 

Starmer Under Pressure as Labour MPs Push Back Against Proposed Disability Benefit Changes

 

Sir Keir Starmer is facing mounting dissent from within his own party as several Labour backbenchers challenge the government’s proposed changes to disability benefits. The row centres on plans to tighten eligibility requirements for the Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which provides financial support to people with disabilities. The proposal would increase the minimum threshold for claiming the daily living element of PIP, a move critics fear could significantly disadvantage vulnerable individuals.

 

Tan Dhesi, MP for Slough and chair of the influential Commons defence committee, has publicly criticised the proposed changes, calling for the government to take “corrective action.” Speaking to Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge, Dhesi said the “disappointing” local election results were a sign the government needed to “listen and learn,” particularly when it comes to welfare policy. While Dhesi acknowledged that the proposed cuts are not yet policy, he emphasised that changing course would not amount to a U-turn.

 

“A government which is in listening mode should be looking at what the electorate is saying,” he said. “And we need to make sure that it's our moral duty, responsibility, to look after the most vulnerable within our community, whether that's in Slough, whether that's elsewhere across the country.”

Dhesi stressed that feedback from constituents and MPs should guide the government's next steps, especially on matters as sensitive as disability benefits. “So, I hope that the government will be taking on board that feedback and many of us as MPs are giving that feedback in various meetings happening here in Westminster and then we need to take corrective action.”

 

Adding her voice to the debate, Labour minister Alex Davies-Jones also spoke to Politics Hub, reinforcing Labour’s commitment to social justice. “A Labour government will always seek to protect the most vulnerable,” she said. “And it wants to listen to people who have got real lived experience.”

Davies-Jones praised Dhesi for speaking out, noting, “I have the utmost respect for Tan, he's a great constituency MP and he's doing exactly what he should be doing, is representing his constituency.”

 

Despite reassurances from party leaders, Starmer is facing a growing rebellion from the Labour backbenches, particularly among MPs from the so-called Red Wall—the traditional Labour strongholds in northern England. Around 40 MPs from this group have reposted a statement on social media criticising the leadership's reaction to the local election results, arguing that their concerns have “fallen on deaf ears.”

 

As internal tensions rise, the government will need to weigh its next steps carefully. With backbenchers voicing strong opposition and voters sending a clear message in local elections, the path forward for PIP reform may prove more complicated than initially expected.

 

Related Topics:

Labour MPs Urge Starmer to Reverse Benefits Cuts After Local Election Backlash

Labour Under Fire as Grooming Survivors Condemn Minister’s ‘Dog Whistle’ Remark

Labour Urged to Abandon Tax Pledges to Counter Farage Threat

Farage’s Political Earthquake Begins to Rattle Britain’s Foundations

Labours Blame Game Commences with Reform Results Fallout

 

  Adpated by ASEAN Now from Sky News  2025-05-09