Labour Faces Backlash Over Disability Benefit Cuts Across UK

Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing significant internal and public backlash over proposed cuts to disability benefits, particularly the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and the health element of Universal Credit. These welfare reforms, championed by DWP Minister Liz Kendall, tighten eligibility criteria, which critics argue will disproportionately harm disabled people, especially women, and violate equality laws due to their higher personal care needs. Over 100 Labour MPs have rebelled against the bill, threatening Starmer’s parliamentary majority, with concerns that supporting the bill could damage the party’s electoral prospects in Scotland, Wales, and the UK. Former Labour MSP Neil Findlay and other campaigners accuse Starmer of betraying working-class and disabled communities by pushing through cuts described as "vindictive," "brutal," and lacking proper consultation. Disability charities and activists warn the changes will deepen poverty and discrimination, urging a halt to the bill’s progress, while some Labour MPs have resigned government roles in protest. Despite these pressures, the government defends the cuts as necessary to prevent a benefits system collapse, but critics call for a wealth tax on the richest and emphasize the need for a fairer approach to social support.