A GROWING number of Labour MPs are making clear their intentions to rebel against the UK Government’s decision to cut disability benefits by billions of pounds.
On Wednesday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves used her Spring Statement to outline extended cuts to the personal independence payment (PIP) and the health element of Universal Credit, which estimates say will save the UK Government £4.8 billion per year by 2030.
However, an impact assessment from Labour’s Department for Work and Pensions said the cuts would push 250,000 people, including 50,000 children, into poverty. It also estimated that the average PIP claimant would be £4500 worse off per year.
PIP is paid to people with long-term conditions or disabilities to help them manage the additional costs involved, and is not tied to whether someone is in work.
Labour’s plans to cut it back, which they claim will help push people into employment, have proven controversial among backbench MPs, with many saying they plan to rebel when the changes come to a Commons vote.
MPs Neil Duncan-Jordan, Lee Barron, Brian Leishman, Jon Trickett, Kim Johnson, Ian Byrne, Richard Burgon, Rachael Maskell, Nadia Whittome, Grahame Morris, Connor Naismith, Chris Webb, and Bell Ribeiro-Addy are among those to have said they will oppose the Labour Government’s cuts.
And Diane Abbott, Rebecca Long-Bailey, Emma Lewell, Imran Hussain, Clive Lewis, and Steve Witherden are among the Labour MPs to have openly criticised them – putting themselves in opposition to the UK Government without explicitly confirming their intention to rebel in a vote.
John McDonnell, the former Labour shadow chancellor who is currently suspended by the party and sitting as an independent MP, has also been vocal in his opposition.
In one example, known left-winger Lloyd Russell-Moyle was not allowed to stand for Labour in Brighton Kemptown, where had represented since 2017, due to a complaint which in January 2025 was dismissed without action.
Russell-Moyle was replaced for the General Election by Chris Ward, a close Starmer ally and staffer, who was elected in the seat in his place.
“People looked the other way when we were making our selections,” Lewis told Sky News. “A lot of my colleagues have been chosen for loyalty.”
Elsewhere, Lewis shared a statement from his fellow Labour MP Kim Johnson, who said she would rebel against the disability cuts.
You cannot cut your way to growth. A wealth tax of 2% on assets over £10 million would raise £24 billion per year. When the government talks about "tough choices" – why is this choice never on the table?#WelfareNotWarfare pic.twitter.com/VBY9uGwVEW
— Kim Johnson (@KimJohnsonMP) March 26, 2025
“Today’s Spring Statement confirms our worst fears,” she wrote. “Cuts to PIP and Universal Credit will devastate my constituents. I’ve already received panicked calls and emails from people who simply don’t know how they’ll survive.”
“Cutting support or reducing eligibility won’t push more people into work – it will only push more people into poverty. The reality is stark: 77% of people claiming Universal Credit and disability benefits have gone without essentials in the last six months. These cuts won’t just cause hardship, they will cost lives.
“I will be voting against any government legislation to enact these changes – I cannot support measures that will make our most vulnerable poorer and widen inequality across the country.”
Scottish Labour’s Brian Leishman, who this week was briefed against by his own party following frequent opposition to UK Government policies, also said he would oppose the cuts.
“These proposed cuts to welfare are not real Labour Party values,” he said on social media.
“Please find your MP’s email address and write to them and tell them how you feel about 250,000 people, including 50,000 children, being put into poverty.”
The changes will need to be brought to a Commons vote, which is likely to happen in May, and the UK Government could be facing its largest rebellion yet.
The Guardian reported that up to 36 Labour MPs could oppose the cuts, but that they are expected to pass.
