The Labour mayors have urged Keir Starmer to listen to MPs and rethink the cuts
Sadiq Khan and Andy Burnham have joined over 100 Labour MPs in urging Keir Starmer to drop the government’s proposed welfare cuts.
Their dramatic interventions came after 108 Labour MPs signed an amendment opposing the government’s bill. Hours later, the prime minister told journalists that he will press ahead with the plans.
The reforms include freezing the health element of Universal Credit, cutting it for new claimants, and changing eligibility for Personal Independence Payments (PIP).
The government’s own estimates suggest that the plans could push 250,000 people, including 50,000 children into poverty.
The London Mayor, Khan, said: “I have always said that more must be done to support people to go from relying on benefits to getting back into work. It’s vital for a healthy and prosperous London.”
However, he added: “What we can’t do is take away the vital safety net that so many vulnerable and disabled Londoners rely upon.
“Having looked at the analysis of the Government’s plans, the impact on London will be substantial, and for too many disabled Londoners it will destroy their financial safety net.”
Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, also spoke out again on the government’s plans.
Appearing on BBC2′s Newsnight yesterday, he said: “When the PLP (Parliamentary Labour Party) delivers its collective wisdom in such numbers it is invariably right. And it is right on this. And I would say to the government, listen to the PLP.”
Burnham warned Starmer not to repeat past mistakes ahead of next Tuesday’s crunch vote on the disability benefit cuts.
He said: “I went through some of those big votes of the past – Iraq the main one but there were others too. When there was such unease that was so widespread and actually from really good people, from all parts of the party, the names, they were from all wings of the party.
“If I look back, if the government that I was in had listened to the PLP it would have been a better government, because it would have made better decisions. And I think this is a case in point here.
Burnham emphasised that it wasn’t about “doing something just to get on at the government”, but said Labour should take “a more unifying path”.
“And on this issue, it should pause, it should get back around the table. I met Greater Manchester Disabled People’s Panel today – there is genuine, deep anxiety about these proposals.”
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
Left Foot Forward doesn’t have the backing of big business or billionaires. We rely on the kind and generous support of ordinary people like you.
You can support hard-hitting journalism that holds the right to account, provides a forum for debate among progressives, and covers the stories the rest of the media ignore. Donate today.
