UK: Parliament approves welfare cuts amid revolt against starmer

The UK House of Commons has approved the controversial welfare reform bill with 335 votes in favour and 260 against. The bill includes cuts to disability benefits and sick pay, and was passed amid a climate of revolt within the Labour majority.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government was forced to make significant last-minute concessions to water down the bill in order to limit the number of rebel MPs. Nevertheless, 42 Labour MPs voted for an amendment—which was ultimately rejected—that aimed to sink the reform.

For Starmer, one year after becoming Prime Minister following the July 4, 2024 general election victory, this marks the largest rebellion within his Labour majority to date. In the days leading up to the vote, over 120 MPs were reportedly prepared to oppose the bill—a number large enough to deal a parliamentary defeat and kill the legislation.

This represents a serious blow to his image and authority, coming in the midst of a decline in public support, as confirmed by the most recent polls. To quell the internal rebellion, Starmer was forced into an embarrassing U-turn on the measure, which was originally introduced with the goal of saving £5 billion, through a series of concessions. First, the government revised the application of stricter eligibility criteria for benefit recipients, deciding to apply them only to new claimants.

Then, just yesterday, it postponed the implementation of the most substantial changes, pending the outcome of a public consultation. However, the U-turn failed to convince rebel MPs, who were backed by disability advocacy groups warning that over 150,000 people still risk being pushed into poverty. “There’s an endless list of alternative ways to raise funds,” said Labour MP Rebecca Long-Bailey during the Commons debate, stressing that the most vulnerable should not be targeted.

Another rebel MP, Rachael Maskell, described the reform as "Dickensian cuts that belong to another era and another party," while presenting an amendment to stop the bill—later rejected by the House. The Conservative opposition, led by Kemi Badenoch, voted against the reform, accusing the government of putting forward a half-baked proposal that fails to solve the underlying issues in the public benefits system, and claiming it was merely a desperate attempt to plug the financial hole left by Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer is working to keep public finances in check while the government simultaneously announces increases in public spending on defence and rearmament, including the nuclear deterrent. The bill was also opposed by MPs from Reform UK, the Trump-style party led by Nigel Farage, who has become a growing concern for Starmer.

Farage has been leading in the polls for months, and—buoyed by his strong showing in the May elections—is increasingly positioning himself as Starmer’s main challenger in the long lead-up to the 2029 general election. The series of difficulties now facing Keir Starmer—starting with the cracks in his once-solid parliamentary majority and continuing with economic pressures—can only serve to strengthen Farage's position.