MPs vote Prime Minister Keir Starmer's watered-down welfare reforms through first Commons hurdle

MPs have voted through Keir Starmer’s welfare reforms in the House of Commons, which will shake up disability benefits.

Tuesday’s vote saw the Prime Minister’s Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill pass its first hurdle, with MPs voting 335 to 260 in favour.

In a late climbdown as MPs prepared to vote, the Government shelved plans to restrict eligibility for the personal independence payment (PIP), with any changes now only coming after a review of the benefit.

The bill was a watered-down version of initial proposals made by Starmer, which campaigners claimed would plunge hundreds of thousands of people into poverty.

A Labour rebellion followed, with more than 120 MPs signing a wrecking agreement to the proposed bill.

As a result, Starmer was forced into a U-turn in a bid to stave off a rebellion among his party.

The welfare reforms originally proposed to cut Universal Credit health top-ups for new claims from April 2026 and scrap the Work Capability Assessment.

The reforms also vowed to review Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments and “focus PIP on those with higher needs”, while consulting on plans to delay access to the health top-up in Universal Credit until claimants turn 22.

The cuts to Universal Credit would have directly impacted benefit claimants in Scotland, while the other changes would have impacted the amount of money coming to Social Security Scotland for devolved benefits, like Adult Disability Payments, which replaced PIP for Scots.

The Scottish Government would have been responsible for making decisions about welfare and disability benefits based on its budget.

However, Labour rebels argued the plans were rushed and would push vulnerable disabled people into poverty.

Following a government U-turn, work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall said PIP claimants will continue to receive the benefits they currently get, as will recipients of the health element of Universal Credit.

She said the planned benefit cuts will only hit future claimants.

Campaigners accused the latest proposals of creating a two-tier benefits system, and official government analysis released on Monday showed the reforms would still push 150,000 people into relative poverty across the UK, rather than the 250,000 first suggested.

Despite the U-turn, two Scottish Labour MPs, Brian Leishman and Maureen Burke, signalled their intention to vote against the cuts.

Following the vote, Leishman, who joined 48 of his colleagues in rebelling against the Government, said ministers should still withdraw the Bill despite it passing second reading.

The MP for Alloa and Grangemouth had also voted in favour of a cross-party amendment that would have stopped the Bill before second reading. He said: “Today was a prime example in how not to legislate.

“A shambolic afternoon with policy being made up off the cuff and on the notion of promises to come.

“The Government should do the honourable and decent thing and withdraw this dreadful Bill.”