The government shelved a key part of its controversial Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill just 90 minutes before the vote.
Keir Starmer was dealt a significant blow to his leadership, despite winning the vote on his government's benefits cuts.. (Getty) (WPA Pool via Getty Images)
Sir Keir Starmer was forced into a humiliating climbdown in order to push through his government’s controversial welfare reforms in farcical scenes in the House of Commons on Tuesday night.
The government won by 335 votes to 260 after making a series of concessions, including one less than two hours before the vote took place.
Faced with the prospect of a humiliating defeat, the government confirmed at around 5.30pm it would shelve key changes to personal independence payments (PIP) until a review into the proposed changes had been completed sometime next year.
It means PIP claimants will no longer have to score four points or more in a single category of their assessment to qualify for the benefit until the review is complete.
Work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall insisted the Labour Party was “100%” behind Starmer, but admitted there were “lessons to be learned”
How did my MP vote?
Some 126 Labour backbenchers had previously threatened to vote against the legislation, enough to block its passage through the Commons, but in the end only 49 did so.
The full list of Labour rebels who voted against the bill are: Diane Abbott, Rosena Allin-Khan, Paula Barker, Lee Barron, Lorraine Beavers, Olivia Blake, Richard Burgon, Ian Byrne, Irene Campbell, Lizzi Collinge, Stella Creasy, Marsha De Cordova, Peter Dowd, Neil Duncan-Jordan, Cat Eccles, Clive Efford, Mary Kelly Foy, Tracy Gilbert, Mary Glindon, Chris Hinchliff, Imran Hussain, Terry Jermy, Kim Johnson, Ian Lavery, Brian Leishman, Emma Lewell, Clive Lewis, Rebecca Long Bailey, Rachael Maskell, Andy McDonald, Navendu Mishra, Abtisam Mohamed, Grahame Morris, Margaret Mullane, Simon Opher, Kate Osamor, Kate Osborne, Richard Quigley, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Marie Rimmer, Cat Smith, Euan Stainbank, Graham Stringer, Marie Tidball, Jon Trickett, Derek Twigg, Chris Webb, Nadia Whittome, Steve Witherden.
'Utter capitulation'
Sir Stephen announced the climbdown in the middle of the debate on the legislation as the government faced the prospect of an embarrassing defeat, despite having majority of 165 and after just under a year in office
He acknowledged “concerns that the changes to Pip are coming ahead of the conclusions of the review of the assessment that I will be leading”.
He said the government would now “only make changes to Pip eligibility activities and descriptors following that review”, which is due to conclude in the autumn of 2026.
MPs were openly critical of the government's last-gasp measures to win over critics, with Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch branding it an "utter capitulation".
Labour’s Andy McDonald asked, “What are we supposed to be voting on?” as key reforms in the bill were shelved, while leading Labour rebel Rachael Maskell said the bill was "unravelling and is a complete farce".
The move will also cause a headache for Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who has seen a forecast £4.8 billion saving from the welfare budget whittled away, leaving her to seek extra money through spending cuts, tax hikes or borrowing to balance the books. By
