Welfare bill could still be defeated, MP says

Peter Lamb joined other Labour back bench rebels in opposing the Welfare Reform Bill

The Welfare Reform Bill could still be defeated at its second reading despite concessions from the government, a Labour MP has said.

Speaking to BBC Politics South East, Peter Lamb, MP for Crawley in West Sussex, said: "I don't think it's inconceivable that we'll get back up to the numbers which potentially result in the bill being killed."

Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced new stricter criteria would only apply to new claimants and reversed plans to freeze the health-related component of universal credit, with it rising in line with inflation for existing recipients.

The government said it had listened to the rebels but "what we all agree on is that we have to reform the broken system".

Lamb said: "I'm part of a reasonably-sized group of people who are very clear that the conditions are still not acceptable."

Responding to the changes the government has promised, he said: "This is ultimately still a cost-cutting measure and that means however they try and co-produce the system for these new people moving forwards, we're going to be taking billions of pounds out of the pockets of people with high levels of vulnerability when there are better alternatives on the table."

Asked whether that meant the government could not rest easy, he replied: "They shouldn't rest easy because the proposals are not acceptable."

The prime minister has made several concessions in a bid to stave off a back bench rebellion

Lamb said he would vote against the bill, regardless of a three-line whip.

"I will be a Labour MP when I vote down these proposals," he said.

When it was put to him that he might not be a Labour MP after the vote, he replied: "I'll be living up to the spirit of the party".

He said he believed the government should invest instead in a preventative approach to mental health, which he said takes up 50% of Personal Independence Payments (PIP) claims.

But he said he had not been listened to.

"I have made this argument for three months, three and a half months, at every possible level, and you can see the eyes glaze over," he told the BBC.

On Friday, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said: "Sometimes there is strength in listening. You end up in the right position when you talk to all of those with knowledge and experience.

"We've more to do to talk to the people over the coming days, but this plan is rooted in Labour values: work for those who can, security for those that can't.

"I am very hopeful that we'll get this bill through the House."

Politics South East is on BBC1 at 10:00 BST on Sunday, then on the iPlayer.

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