Divisions within the Labour Party are deepening over Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s proposed cuts to benefits for the long-term sick and disabled. Nadia Whittome, the left-wing MP for Nottingham East, has publicly declared her intention to rebel against the plans, stating she “couldn’t look her mum in the eyes” if she voted for the measures, which aim to save an estimated £5 billion.
Whittome, who has spoken openly about her own struggles with mental health disabilities, including ADHD and PTSD, argued that the proposed cuts would unfairly target some of the most vulnerable in society. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, she emphasized that “you cannot incentivise people out of sickness” and criticized the government for scapegoating disabled people for economic failures.
“It was wrong when David Cameron cut welfare, and it would be wrong for us to do that now,” Whittome said. “It’s not disabled people who crashed the economy or who are responsible for rising rents or falling living standards. We must not scapegoat them for the failures and the political choices of the Conservative government.”
Whittome also highlighted the United Nations’ criticism of the UK’s existing welfare cuts and shared her personal experience of relying on disability benefits. “I was on it. My mum had to stop work when I was a teenager to care for me,” she said. “I represent disabled people, all of us do, and we all hear their stories every day and just how scared they are about this, and what a difference these payments make to their lives.”
However, not all Labour MPs share Whittome’s stance. Jo White, MP for Bassetlaw, argued that the current benefits system perpetuates generational poverty and lacks incentives for improvement. “These cuts to welfare would be popular if we are to lift people out of poverty and change the way people live,” White said. “They need to be in work, and I don’t perceive it as a saving. I see it as a moral duty to change people’s lives.”
White warned that the benefits system often traps families in cycles of poverty, with children growing up to rely on the same system. “If families are out of work, they tend to bring up their children to exist on the benefits system,” she said. “Their aspirations are so low that the communities do not change. We need to raise skill levels and opportunities, and tackling the benefits system is absolutely critical.”
Meanwhile, former Conservative Work and Pensions Secretary Sir Iain Duncan Smith cautioned that Starmer’s proposed reforms would require primary legislation, making them time-consuming and likely to face significant opposition. “He will need primary legislation for much of this, which will take time and mean he will face rebellions. It is not easy,” Duncan Smith said. He also questioned the relatively modest savings of £5 billion, describing it as “neither here nor there.”
Duncan Smith, who introduced Universal Credit during his tenure, also pointed out that changes to national insurance and part-time employment rules under Chancellor Rachel Reeves could reduce job opportunities for those on long-term benefits. “Most of the people on long-term benefits need to go into part-time jobs, but changes to the tax arrangements mean there are fewer of them,” he said.
The growing rift within Labour over welfare cuts underscores the challenges Starmer faces in balancing fiscal responsibility with the party’s commitment to social justice. As the debate continues, the Prime Minister may find himself navigating a series of rebellions from within his own ranks.
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