Prime Minister told to reflect and listen to backbench MPs
PLUS: A referendum appears to be off the cards already when it comes to local government reorganisation
Hello and welcome to The Lancashire Lead.
Many Labour MPs got their wish this week when a heavily amended welfare reform bill was voted through - but not without enormous concessions that include delaying changes to personal independence payment until after the outcome of a review.
But the scale of the original backlash from Labour MPs - and the concessions themselves - means that the opposition have been gleeful in declaring Keir Starmer’s leadership to be weak. And if Kemi Badenoch wasn’t pleased before, she certainly appeared to be when she saw a visibly upset Rachel Reeves on Wednesday.
It has been a chastening fortnight for the Labour leadership. Here in Lancashire, four Labour MPs felt they could not vote for the bill even with the concessions that were made.
A key figure in the opposition to the bill, Cat Smith, told us she hopes the Prime Minister has learned to listen to his backbenchers.
Plus - we have the latest on Reform UK’s plans to hold a referendum into local government reorganisation in Lancashire. That doesn’t appear to be a pledge they will be able to follow through on.
We noted with interest the publication, late on Friday, of Lancashire County Council’s plan to build a better Lancashire. Reporting on it today would be akin to writing a love letter to Reform, so you can expect something more thorough from us in the near future.
Cat Smith ‘hopeful’ Prime Minister has reflected over welfare reform shambles
By Luke Beardsworth
One of the key figures in the Labour row over the welfare reform bill said she hopes the Prime Minister will reflect and work with his backbenchers in future.
Cat Smith, MP for Lancaster and Wyre, was one of the 13 select committee chairs behind the original reasoned amendment which attracted over 100 Labour MPs in support.
Smith believed the government needed to work with disabled people, carers and charities to work towards reform which ‘works for disabled people’.
But when the government made concessions that meant any changes to personal independence payment would not be introduced until the outcome of a review, Smith and three Labour MPs in Lancashire still felt they needed to vote against.
Cat Smith said that she was not attempting to undermine the leadership in doing so but told The Lancashire Lead: “I am glad he listened, hopefully he has reflected and will work more closely with backbench MPs in future.”
Explaining her decision, she said: “I couldn’t vote with my party, knowing how the changes to the PIP system will impact so many people across Lancaster and Wyre who rely on it.
“The current system is broken, but it can only be fixed with co-production with disabled people. My close friend, and disability rights activist Zara taught me: “Nothing about us, without us.”
“I joined a Labour Party that reduced child poverty, introduced the Disability Discrimination Act and Equality Act, and made life better for those with additional needs. I have not changed, and I won't stop fighting for social justice and equality.”
She was joined by Blackpool South MP Chris Webb, Blackpool North and Fleetwood MP Lorraine Beavers and Morecambe and Lunesdale MP Lizzi Collinge. Conservative Andrew Snowden and independent Adnan Hussain also voted against the welfare bill.
Collinge said: “I could not in good conscience vote for these reforms as they currently stand, even with last-minute assurances from Ministers on key concessions.
“After meeting and listening to countless constituents, advocacy groups, and others deeply worried about the human cost of these proposed changes, and with a key Government concession coming too late to analyse, I decided it was right to vote against the Government.”
Two Labour MPs who were able to vote for the bill - but only after concessions were made - were Maya Ellis for Ribble Valley and Paul Foster for South Ribble.
Ellis said: “Thanks to our continued lobbying, at the 11th hour today the government announced another concession on the bill, that essentially means that its core focus now is on reforming and improving the benefits system, and that no decisions on any cuts to those benefits will be made until that review has been concluded.
“In my eyes, this is how it always should have been. I will be keeping a very close eye that the government stick to what they have now promised, but I’m delighted that they have listened”
She added that she was pleased that the government listened to the concerns and criticisms.
Foster had spoken emotively on the matter, expressing his unhappiness at being forced to vote against the whip for the first time in his 20-year career in politics.
He said: “Ministers have acknowledged the concerns raised by me and other backbench colleagues and have recognised that aspects of the original proposals were not right. I’m pleased they have listened and engaged constructively with me and other MP’s.
“However, I am strongly against any future changes to PIP until the Timms Review is complete, and the recommendations from this review, which will be co-produced with disability organisations, disabled people, and their care givers, create the new PIP regime.”
What has actually changed?
The government’s bill on welfare reform passed by 335 to 260 votes on Tuesday evening.
Backbench Labour MPs, including many in Lancashire and across the north, opposed the bill in its first form. This resulted in a number of concessions.
The bill was designed with the goal of creating a sustainable welfare system - in response to the volume of people signing up. One in ten people of working age claim a sickness or disability benefit. Expenditure is projected to be £70bn a year by 2029.
It initially proposed significant changes to personal independence payments. Pip has two elements - a daily living component and a mobility component. A points-based system is used to assess eligibility and to qualify for the daily living element one must have limited ability in relation to a range of ten activities. These include washing and bathing, dressing, eating and drinking and managing medication.
The changes changed the bar required to qualify for the payments - and critics argued the bar was too high. They believed it made it prohibitively difficult for people whose health problems are spread across a range of activities.
There was further concern that people with mental health problems would be most affected.
The changes were estimated to mean 800,000-1,200,000 would lose entitlement.
The first concession from government came in the form of a cut-off point - where the rules would only apply to new claimants. The second was a review, led by Stephen Timms, which would properly assess the impact in collaboration with people with lived experience and charities representing them.
The second, two hours before the Commons vote, was that no changes would be made to pip until the Timms review was complete.
A £1bn back-to-work support package for claimants of Universal Credit remains in place. The higher health-related rate was to be frozen, but will now increase in line with inflation.
There’s a few pieces from The Lead’s national title which are worth some attention. First up, Zoë Grünewald’s reviews of the the government’s first year in power. Part one looks at economy, NHS, housing and education, with part two focusing on immigration, climate, welfare, foreign affairs, arts and culture.
Finally, broadcaster and environmental campaigner Chris Packham has written exclusively for The Lead explaining why he wants to see the government ban fossil fuel advertising - and how you can get involved too.
Any referendum on local government to cost £2m and not be legally binding
By Paul Faulkner and Luke Beardsworth
The government has said it is up to Lancashire to decide whether to hold a referendum on a controversial plan to scrap all of the county’s councils – but suggested that the outcome will not be legally binding if it does.
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