Welfare U-turn could spare 50,000 from poverty

Changes to the welfare bill made by the government in the face of a backbench rebellion will lift 50,000 people out of poverty, an updated impact assessment has found.

- Jessica Murray

Keir Starmer, the prime minister, was forced to abandon the central plank of his welfare bill - cuts to the personal independence payment (Pip) - to avert defeat in the House of Commons last week.

A new impact assessment by the Department for Work and Pensions found the change would mean 50,000 fewer people, including children and working-age individuals, were in relative poverty in 2030 after housing costs were considered.