Sir Keir Starmer narrowly avoided a major Commons defeat on Tuesday evening after a dramatic last-minute U-turn on his government’s controversial welfare reforms. In scenes widely described as farcical, Labour’s leadership made a series of concessions — including one just 90 minutes before the vote — in an effort to stave off a sizeable rebellion from within the party. The government ultimately won the vote by 335 to 260, following confirmation that planned changes to Personal Independence Payments (PIP) would be postponed pending a formal review.
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The late concession means that PIP claimants will not, for now, be required to score four points or more in a single assessment category to qualify for the benefit. This change will remain on hold until the conclusion of the independent review, expected to report in autumn 2026. Despite the climbdown, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall insisted Labour was “100%” behind Starmer, though she conceded that “there are lessons to be learned” from the week’s developments.
Although 126 Labour backbenchers had threatened to rebel, just 49 ultimately voted against the legislation. Nevertheless, the scale of internal dissent forced Labour to act. During the debate, Sir Stephen Timms formally announced the government’s retreat, admitting that reforms to PIP were being rushed ahead of the review’s findings. The dramatic shift prompted confusion among MPs, with some questioning what exactly they were being asked to vote on, given the bill’s key provisions had effectively been stripped away.
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Criticism came not only from Labour MPs but also from opposition parties. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch described the last-minute manoeuvring as an “utter capitulation”, while Labour’s Rachael Maskell said the legislation was “unravelling” and labelled the process “a complete farce”. The U-turn is expected to present fresh challenges for Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who will now need to find alternative savings or revenue to fill the £4.8 billion gap left by the welfare changes being deferred.
