Welfare reform bill: Full text of reasoned amendment and list of rebel Labour MPs

More than 100 Labour MPs have signed a “reasoned amendment” seeking to thwart the government’s controversial welfare reform bill, in one of the most significant rebellions of Keir Starmer’s premiership to date.

After weeks of behind-the-scenes discontent and lobbying over changes to personal independence payments and other benefits, over a quarter of Labour’s MPs have now gone public with their concerns. The amendment was spearheaded by a group of select committee chairs and spans a wide range of the Parliamentary Labour Party, including some not typically seen as rebels.

Here is a list of Labour rebels; scroll for the full text below:

The welfare reform reasoned amendment by MPs in full:

It reads: “That this House, whilst noting the need for the reform of the social security system, and agreeing with the Government’s principles for providing support to people into work and protecting people who cannot work, declines to give a Second Reading to the Universal Credit and Personal Independent Payment Bill.

“Because its provisions have not been subject to a formal consultation with disabled people, or co-produced with them, or their carers. Because the Office for Budget Responsibility is not due to publish its analysis of the employment impact of these reforms until the autumn of 2025.

“Because the majority of the additional employment support funding will not be in place until the end of the decade; because the Government’s own impact assessment estimates that 250,000 people will be pushed into poverty as a result of these provisions, including 50,000 children. Because the Government has not published an assessment of the impact of these reforms on health or care needs.

“Because the Government is still awaiting the findings of the Minister for Social Security and Disability’s review into the assessment for Personal Independence Payment and Sir Charlie Mayfield’s independent review into the role of employers and government in boosting the employment of disabled people and people with long-term health conditions.”

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