Welfare reform: List of Labour MPs prepared to rebel against benefit changes

More than 20 Labour MPs have said publicly that they will not back the government when proposed welfare reforms are voted on in Parliament.

Last week, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall unveiled the “biggest shake up to the welfare system in a generation” in a bid to cut the country’s benefits bill by around £5bn.

However, measures to restrict eligibility for personal independence payment and cutting and freezing the health element of Universal Credit for new claimants have proved controversial among some Labour MPs.

Following the publication of an impact assessment into the reforms by the Department of Work and Pensions, at least eight Labour MPs have said they will vote against the reforms to the welfare system, with several more signalling their opposition to the plans.

Speaking on the Today Programme, Chancellor Rachel Reeves defended the government’s reforms to welfare and said: “This is about reforming the system, to get more people into work, to have fulfilling careers and have more money in their pocket.”

Several of those who have publicly said they will oppose changes to welfare are on the left of the party, including Nadia Whittome, Brian Leishman, Kim Johnson and Richard Burgon.

Others, including Stella Creasy and Steve Witherden, have posted publicly about their opposition to the changes but have not explicitly said they would vote against the proposals when they come to a vote in the Commons.

Outside of Parliament, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has said that the government is making “the wrong choice” by restricting eligibility for disability benefit.

We are keeping a rolling list of MPs who have said they are prepared to rebel against the government over the changes to health-related benefits – if you see an MP who should be on our list, please email us at [email protected].

Labour MPs who have said they will rebel against the government

• Diane Abbott, Hackney North and Stoke Newington
• Lee Barron, Corby and East Northamptonshire
• Lorraine Beavers, Blackpool North and Fleetwood
• Richard Burgon, Leeds East
• Ian Byrne, Liverpool West Derby
• Neil Duncan-Jordan, Poole
• Cat Eccles, Stourbridge
• Chris Hinchliff, North East Hertfordshire
• Imran Hussain, Bradford East
• Kim Johnson, Liverpool Riverside
• Mary Kelly Foy, City of Durham
• Ian Lavery, Blyth and Ashington
• Brian Leishman, Alloa and Grangemouth
• Emma Lewell-Buck, South Shields
• Clive Lewis, Norwich South
• Rachael Maskell, York Central
• Andy McDonald, Middlesbrough and Thornaby East
• Grahame Morris, Easington
• Connor Naismith, Crewe and Nantwich
• Simon Opher, Stroud
• Andrew Ranger, Wrexham
• Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Clapham and Brixton Hill
• Jon Trickett, Normanton and Hemsworth
• Chris Webb, Blackpool South
• Nadia Whittome, Nottingham East

Zarah Sultana, Apsana Begum and John McDonnell, who remain suspended from the Labour Party, have also said they will not vote in favour of the government’s welfare reforms.

Labour MPs who have expressed opposition to welfare reforms

• Debbie Abrahams, Oldham East and Saddleworth
• Dan Aldridge, Weston-super-Mare
• Stella Creasy, Walthamstow
• Alex Sobel, Leeds Central and Headingley
• Steve Witherden, Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr

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
• MPs: ‘Let’s soothe the nation, not kick it in the teeth’
• Reeves ‘confident’ civil service could cut 10,000 roles as Blunkett decries fiscal rules

And read more commentary on the Spring Statement:

• ‘Why not draft in Martin Lewis to fill the fiscal hole?’
• ‘Ministers must reject failed Tory orthodoxies of the past and put people before profit again’
• ‘The Chancellor must not make foreign aid cuts worse’
• ‘People want New Labour-style spending now. Here’s why it’s just not possible’

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