UK Politics

A furious row has broken out after a Labour MP serving on the assisted dying bill committee was forced to leave because her hearing aid batteries had run flat.Bradford West MP Naz Shah posted on X (formerly Twitter) last night to express her frustration because the committee session had been extended, despite her warning that her hearing aids would need recharging.She posted on X: “I apologised to the members of the assisted dying bill committee tonight as I had to leave early. I didn’t want to but had to because my hearing aids need to recharge after 15 hours use and without them I cannot hear or take part in the committee. Naz Shah More

A Labour minister has hit back at left-wing critics of government benefit cuts, accusing them of “defending a Tory benefit system”.Pensions minister Torsten Bell said the current welfare system “has failed and is driving up the number of people who are out of work and receiving benefits”. And, asked about critics of the government, including former Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell, Mr Bell said: “I’ve said this gently to John and to others that they are defending a Tory benefit system that writes off millions as unable to work.” Torsten Bell said left-wing critics were “defending a Tory benefit system” More

Boris Johnson, one of Britain’s best known supporters of Donald Trump, has vented his fury after the failure of the US President’s talks with Vladimir Putin.The former prime minister claimed that Putin’s refusal to agree to Trump’s plan for a ceasefire in the Ukraine war shows the Russian leader is ‘laughing at us.’Mr Johnson, who led Europe’s support for Ukraine when the war started during his prime ministership, said Putin had showed that far from wanting peace he was determined to ‘keep bombing and killing innocent Ukrainians.’Donald Trump supporter and former British prime minister Boris Johnson (right) has vented his fury over the failure of the US president’s talks with Putin More

Britain’s Labour Party government on Tuesday announced an overhaul of the welfare system that it says will save the cash-strapped administration 5 billion pounds ($6.5 billion). Critics claim it will harm some of the U.K.’s most vulnerable people.The government says the shakeup will help people who are currently “written off” find jobs. It’s a risky strategy for a party founded more than a century ago to fight for the rights of working people, and it has made trade unions and party supporters uneasy.Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall told lawmakers in the House of Commons that the government had inherited a broken social security system that is “failing the very people it is supposed to help and holding our country back.”She said Britain’s statistics are stark, with one in 10 working-age people claiming a sickness or disability benefit, and “millions of people who could work trapped on benefits.”Blaming the Conservatives, who lost power in July after 14 years, for damaging the economy and health system, Kendall said “the social security system will always be there for people in genuine need.”But she announced changes to the way disabilities are assessed. Campaigners say that will make it harder for people to get and keep benefits.The changes, which will have to be approved by Parliament, are expected to save more than 5 billion pounds by 2030.Not everything is being cut. The overhaul also includes an above-inflation increase to universal credit, one of the most common welfare benefits. Kendall said 1 billion pounds will be spent to “tear down barriers to work,” including new rules allowing welfare recipients to try out paid jobs without losing their benefits.The government claims a lack of support towards employment is trapping sick and disabled people in economic inactivity. Kendall said that “in most comparable countries” spending on sickness and disability benefits “is either stable or falling – whilst ours continues to inexorably rise.”The Disability Benefits Consortium, which represents more than 100 charities and organizations, said the “cruel” changes “will largely hit those who are unable to work and rely on these benefits to survive.”Sarah Hughes, chief executive of mental health charity Mind, said the cuts would make it harder for people to get support and “will only serve to deepen the nation’s mental health crisis.”Prime Minister Keir Starmer ’s center-left government has seen its popularity plummet as it grapples with a sluggish economy and creaking public services.Treasury chief Rachel Reeves is due to make a spring budget statement on March 26, and is expected to trim public spending to make up for lower-than-expected tax takings and high borrowing costs.Tuesday’s welfare announcement followed weeks of speculation about how deep the cuts would be.Labour lawmaker Imran Hussain said that “thousands of the most severely disabled people in my constituency, and millions across the U.K., have watched in disbelief as politicians debate cuts to the support that enables their very survival, leaving many at breaking point.”Kendall said she understood “the worry and anxiety.”“And I hope I’ve made it clear to the House today, I don’t start from a position of being tough,” she said. “I start by precisely from a position of compassion.” More

Watch Liz Kendall’s House of Commons statement in full as Labour announced plans to slash billions of pounds from the UK’s benefits bill on Tuesday, 18 March, amid backlash from charities and trade unions, who have described them as “immoral” and “indefensible”.The work and pensions secretary unveiled Sir Keir Starmer’s government’s dramatic cuts to benefits, prompting fears as many as one million people could see their benefits reduced.Anela Anwar, chief executive of anti-poverty charity Z2K accused the government of implementing “shocking and dangerous proposals”.Labour backbenchers have met the plans with fierce criticism. Veteran left-winger Diane Abbott described the overhaul as “not a Labour thing to do”.Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden defended the plans, saying that the Cabinet is “united” behind the move and that people on long-term sickness benefits should not “languish there forever”.Among the reforms, Ms Kendall ruled out freezing or means testing personal independence payments (PIP), but announced they will significantly tighten access to the benefit.She announced the work capability assessment (WCA) will be scrapped in 2028, an increase in benefit claim reassessments and a new “Right to try” scheme to allow people to find work.With an expected bill of £70bn per year by 2030 on disability and long term sickness benefits, Ms Kendall insisted she had no choice. More

An estimated million disabled people will lose their benefits as part of Labour’s overhaul of the ballooning welfare budget.Work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall announced that the bulk of the changes, aimed at saving £5bn by 2030, would fall on personal independence payments (PIP) by raising the threshold that people can qualify for them.The changes come after concerns that the bill for those on disability and long term sickness benefits will hit £70bn by 2030 with the number of claimants rising from the current 2.8m to 4m.Charities, trade unions and leftwing Labour MPs united to brand the changes “immoral” even though there was some welcome for other measures, including not freezing the level of PIPs and ending regular assessments.Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall was speaking in the House of Commons (House of Commons/UK Parliament/PA) More

Labour revealed the extent of its welfare reforms on Tuesday as work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall delivered an announcement in Commons on the plans.Taking to the stand, the minister said the welfare system is “failing the very people it is supposed to help and holding our country back”.“This government is ambitious for our people and our country and we believe unleashing the talents of the British people is the key to our future success,” she added.Ms Kendall went on to announce a sweeping number of reforms, with savings amounting to £5 billion by 2029/30 – the end of this parliamentary term.Liz Kendall announced Labour’s welfare plans in Commons More

PIP benefit will not be means tested, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall announcesDramatic cuts to benefits that have been unveiled by the work and pensions secretary have prompted backlash from charities and trade unions, who have described them as “immoral” and “indefensible”. With fears as many as one million people could see their benefits reduced, the backlash has been swift. Anela Anwar, chief executive of anti-poverty charity Z2K accused the government of implementing “shocking and dangerous proposals”. In her statement, Liz Kendall ruled out freezing or means testing personal independence payments (PIP), but announced they will significantly tighten access to the benefit. She announced the work capability assessment (WCA) will be scrapped in 2028, an increase in benefit claim reassessments and a new ‘Right to try’ scheme to allow people to find work. Flanked by Sir Keir Starmer and deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, the leadership of the government sent a visible symbol of “unity” with an expected backlash against harsh measures.Leftwingers like Diane Abbott and Nadia Whittome were expected to lead a rebellion against the measures, Ms Kendall insisted that the system is “broken”. With an expected bill of £70bn per year by 2030 on disability and long term sickness benefits, Ms Kendall insisted she had no choice.What are the key benefit changes in Labour’s welfare overhaul?Labour revealed the extent of its welfare reforms on Tuesday as work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall delivered an announcement in Commons on the plans.Ms Kendall announced a sweeping number of reforms, with savings amounting to £5 billion by 2029/30 – the end of this parliamentary term.Athena Stavrou18 March 2025 14:55Concerns changes will worsen child povertySeveral MPs have raised concerns that the government’s welfare reforms could impact levels of child poverty.Chris Webb, Labour MP for Blackpool South, one of the most deprived constituencies in the UK, said nearly one in two children in his constituency live in poverty. He told the Commons: “I really worry about the child poverty numbers that these measures could impact on.”Labour MP Helen Hayes also asked for reassurance that the reforms “will not make child poverty worse for anybody who is a child living in a family where their parents or carers are in receipt of benefits”.The Dulwich and West Norwood MP added: “Can she tell the House what analysis she has undertaken of the impact of the reforms she is announcing today on child poverty? Will she publish that analysis?”In her response, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said: “We will publish the equality impact analysis and the poverty impact analysis around the time of the spring statement.”Athena Stavrou18 March 2025 14:48Man with lifelong condition ‘tentatively positive’ after announcement A man living in “constant pain” from osteoarthritis said he is “tentatively positive” about the Government’s decision to scrap the assessment process for people living with lifelong conditions.Stephen Kerr, 57, from Northampton, claims personal independence payments (Pip) and described the assessment process as “humiliating” and makes disabled people feel like “fraudsters”.“You speak to anybody that goes through the process, and it is humiliating. The default position is, ‘you’re a benefit fraudster, you’re a cheat’ and you have to prove that you’re not,” Mr Kerr told the PA news agency.“I’m quite tentatively positive about the fact that she (Ms Kendall) said that the work capability assessments for people with lifelong conditions won’t be constantly reassessed.”Athena Stavrou18 March 2025 14:42Disabled people led to ‘breaking point’, Labour MP saysA Labour MP has said many disabled people have been led to “breaking point” during recent discussions around changes to the welfare system.Imran Hussain, MP for Bradford East, said in the Commons: “The reality remains that over the last few weeks, thousands of the most severely disabled people in my constituency and millions across the UK, have watched in disbelief as politicians debate cuts to the support that enables their very survival, leaving many at breaking point.”Athena Stavrou18 March 2025 14:34Full story: A million to lose disability benefit as Labour slashes £5bn off welfare billAn estimated million disabled people will lose their benefits as part of Labour’s overhaul of the ballooning welfare budget.Work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall announced that the bulk of the changes, aimed at saving £5bn by 2030, would fall on personal independence payments (PIP) by raising the threshold that people can qualify for them.The Independent’s Political Editor David Maddox has the full story:Athena Stavrou18 March 2025 14:29Welfare reforms branded ‘crass’ by former Labour ministerFormer Labour minister Dawn Butler has labelled the government’s money-saving welfare reforms as “rather crass”.Ms Butler said the employment service has “always needed reform”, adding: “How we go about it, and the way we go about it, is fundamental and important, and I don’t think it should be linked to saving money, because that’s rather crass, and it’s caused lots of anxiety for my constituents in Brent East and elsewhere.“The patriotic millionaires have said that just a 2% on assets over £10 million will bring in £22 billion a year. That’s a better way to bring money in to help fill the blackhole that we found ourselves in.”( More