Trade minister Douglas Alexander has just been asked about his party's welfare reform bill, and whether they're heading for another policy U-turn, like with the winter fuel payment.

Alexander says what stands out to him about the MPs who signed the reasoned amendment is that there is "broad agreement" on the principles behind the reforms, but concerns about "implementation".

"Now normally on second reading you're voting on the principles of a bill and then you deal with implementation," he says, but argues that the concerns raised by rebel MPs have "brought forward that discussion".

"Ministers will be talking to those MPs over the coming days," he says. "We are listening, we are working and we are engaging with Labour friends to make sure the legislation is as good as it can be."

We’ve just heard from the shadow work and pensions secretary, who’s expressed concerns about the government’s proposed welfare changes.

Helen Whately tells BBC Breakfast that the Conservatives have made an offer to Keir Starmer: if he commits to three things, he could win opposition support.

• First, to “properly reduce” the welfare bill
• Second, to “get more people into work”
• And third, not to put up taxes in the autumn

Whately also points out that the government’s proposed changes would only cut the welfare bill by £5bn a year, saying “it’s not a tick” when the benefits bill is set to rise to £100bn by the end of the decade.

Labour MP Toby Perkins tells the BBC he finds the proposed welfare changes "very difficult to support".

“I don’t disagree that we need reform, but just because we need reform doesn’t mean that any reform is the right one," he tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

The bill would change how people are assessed for personal independence payment (Pip) and universal credit (UC). Perkins says the new criteria are a "totally arbitrary way" of delivering them.

He describes the proposed reforms as cruel, and hopes the government will "get to the right place" before the vote on Tuesday.

Perkins urges the government to "take a pause", saying: "Let's try and make sure we don't end up having damaging changes in amongst what ultimately, primarily, are some very positive changes."

Why is the government trying to cut welfare spending?published at 07:46 British Summer Time

07:46 BST

By Ben Chu

It is concerned about the rise in the number of people claiming working-age benefits in recent years and the implications of this trend for the public finances.

Last Autumn, the government projected that the numbers of working-age claimants of Pip in England and Wales would rise from 2.7 million in 2023-24 to 4.3 million in 2029-30, external, an increase of 1.6 million.

At that time, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the government's official forecaster, projected, external that the overall cost of the working-age benefit system would rise from £48.5bn in 2024 to £75.7bn by 2030.

That would have represented an increase from 1.7% of the size of the UK economy to 2.2%, roughly the size of current spending on defence.

Ministers argue that this rising bill needs to be brought under control and that changes to the welfare system are part of that effort.

It is worth noting that - even after factoring in the planned cuts - the OBR still projected, external this bill to continue to rise in cash terms to £72.3bn by 2030.

And the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) still projected , externalthe total number of working-age Pip recipients to rise by 1.2 million between 2023 and 2030 after the cuts.

In this sense, the main effect of the Pip cuts would be to reduce the increase in claimants that would otherwise have occurred.

Trade minister Douglas Alexander is speaking now to BBC Breakfast - we'll bring you the key lines as he's asked about the welfare bill.

Image source, Reuters

Just yesterday, Keir Starmer stood firm when asked about his proposed welfare changes.

Speaking to the media, Starmer said the Labour Party was "pretty united" on reforming the welfare system and dismissed criticism as "noises off".

Earlier, his deputy Angela Rayner told the House of Commons that a vote on the government's welfare bill will go ahead as planned on Tuesday.

In his conference with reporters, Starmer admitted that making changes to welfare was "tough going" but said, "the important thing is to focus on the change that we want to bring about".

He argued that the current welfare system "doesn't work as it stands for people who desperately need help to get into work or for people who need protection".

"We were elected in to change that which is broken, and that's what we will do, and that's why we will press ahead with reforms," he added.

Image source, Getty Images

The row over Keir Starmer’s proposed welfare changes began when more than 130 MPs, including 120 from Labour, signed an amendment to reject plans to cut disability and sickness-related benefit payments.

The government says the changes will save £5bn a year by 2030.

Cabinet ministers have reportedly been calling Labour MPs to ask them to take their names off the amendment. So far, only one Labour MP, Samantha Niblett, has removed her name.

MPs who signed the amendment include both new MPs from the 2024 intake and those who were in Parliament before Labour’s election win.

The rebels say they oppose the plans because of the number of people expected to be pushed into relative poverty, a lack of consultation, and what they say is an inadequate impact assessment on the jobs market.

Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent

More for you on this story now.

A No 10 source tells the BBC: "Delivering fundamental change is not easy, and we all want to get it right, so of course we're talking to colleagues about the bill and the changes it will bring.

"We want to start delivering this together on Tuesday."

The source adds: "The broken welfare system is failing the most vulnerable and holding too many people back.

"It's fair and responsible to fix it. There is broad consensus across the party on this."

Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent

Downing Street has confirmed it is in talks with Labour MPs about possible changes to the government's welfare policies.

In a notable softening of tone, No 10 said that they "want" to hold a vote on Tuesday - as is currently planned - and admitted that getting the policy right was "not easy".

This is a developing story, we'll have more for you on this shortly.