Welfare: Labour criticised for not consulting on disability and poverty in policymaking forum for next manifesto

Labour has been accused of seeking to constrain party discussion over future welfare policy by a member of its governing body,  just as the government unveils further cuts to benefits.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced further welfare cuts during her Spring Statement on Wednesday, in a move that has dismayed many Labour figures.

The word “welfare” was notably only mentioned twice in the 2024 general election manifesto – in relation to animals – and the word “benefits” conspicuous by in its absence for the party proud of setting up the welfare state.

Now some members will fear the next manifesto may be little different. Ann Black, Constituency Labour Party representative on the national executive committee, suggests that participants in the party’s national policymaking forum (NPF), which drafts the broad policy programme that future manifesto commitments are often largely drawn from, have been told to focus on “narrow topics” in this cycle.

Black wrote in an report for members this month that she was “concerned” at the changed role of NPF – the official mechanism by which general election policy platforms are formulated.

But the party’s chair Ellie Reeves is reported to have since said the topics are only “starting points” and local parties can discuss “whatever they wish”.

Blair ‘understood arguments had to be explained and won’

She said there will be “no formal consultation” on disability support or child poverty in the NPF’s Breaking Down Barriers commission, one of six sub-groups looking at particular policy areas. Instead the commission’s members have been tasked with discussing raising the proportion of school-ready five-year-olds from 67% to 75% by 2028, a key recent Labour commitment.

Black wrote: “The commission’s remit includes education, work and pensions, equalities, and culture, media and sport, but there will be no formal consultation over child poverty, where the two-child limit and the benefit cap penalise children in larger families, nor on winter fuel payment, where the pension credit threshold of £11,500 is far too low, nor on disability support including personal independence payments designed to give disabled people an equal chance in life, nor the bedroom tax, nor the funding crisis in higher education, nor developments in artificial intelligence.”

Read more of our Spring Statement news and analysis:

• ‘Ill thought out’ or ‘strong performance’? Reeves’ Spring Statement divides MPs
• Reeves under fire from Labour’s three biggest unions
• List of councillors quitting over welfare amid further cuts
• The four Labour achievements Reeves is trumpeting
• Reeves ‘confident’ civil service could cut 10,000 roles as Blunkett decries fiscal rules

The longstanding NEC member said that former Prime Minister Tony Blair – who set up the NPF – understood arguments “had to be explained and won among the wider movement”, and recognised that success ‘”did not simply mean keeping enough MPs in line”.

She said the NPF produced three wide-ranging documents in its first year in 1998: “One on health, one on crime and justice, and one on welfare reform, including pensions and benefits, specifically to address issues which members and voters cared about.” These documents were discussed by the full NPF meeting, in person, before circulation – with members keen to engage with them, she said.

The original purpose of the NPF was to involve members in discussions, Black said, especially on “contentious matters and tough decisions”.

Suggested starting points

Black also revealed that at yesterday’s national executive committee meeting, party chair Ellie Reeves said the papers were only “suggested starting points”, however, and parties could discuss “whatever they wish”.

Black writes in a forthcoming report on the meeting: “As chair of the national policy forum Ellie was pleased to announce that the six policy commissions are up and running, providing essential links between government and party. Each commission has its own workplan and is publishing a paper on 31 March, open for consultation until 8 June 2025. The joint policy committee agreed that these first-year documents would focus on fixing the foundations, with specific topics defined elsewhere.

“Ellie confirmed that the papers are suggested starting points, and local parties are encouraged to discuss whatever they wish. For instance, Breaking Down Barriers focuses on raising school-readiness among five-year-olds from 67% to 75%. This commission also covers the whole of the departments of education, work and pensions, and culture, media and sport, so it includes pensions, winter fuel payments, child poverty, universal credit and sickness and disability-related benefits.

“In addition every paper includes a question about the implications of its proposals for women, Black, Asian and minority ethnic people, LGBT+ people, disabled people and those with other protected characteristics. And 8 June is not an absolute cutoff for everything – members can feed views in all year round. So there are plenty of opportunities to contribute.”

What is the NPF?

The NPF consists of around 200 representatives drawn from across the Labour movement, many of them directly elected, who then consult with the general public, party members, affiliates and experts on those key policy areas.

This policy consultation is then used to create an annual report, which is debated and voted on at conference.

Once approved, it provides the main springboard for policy ideas for the manifesto, although many further commitments made it into the manifesto – or disappeared from the NPF – during the last policymaking cycle in response to political developments.

The final thrashing out of what makes the cut for the manifesto takes place at a Clause V meeting. The last one passed with limited public political rows, bar Unite declining to fully endorse the plans.

Labour was approached for comment.

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