Labour rebels hit back at threats over benefits vote

Rebel Labour MPs have hit back at Sir Keir Starmer after they were threatened with suspension or blacklisting for voting against his benefit cuts.

- ARCHIE MITCHELL

Party whips have warned backbenchers they will be ruled out of government jobs and could lose the Labour whip if they reject plans to slash the welfare bill by £5bn.

Sir Keir is bracing for the biggest rebellion of his leadership when MPs vote on the changes, which will remove the main disability benefit, personal independence payment (PIP), from up to 800,000 people.

Around 50 Labour MPs are believed to be planning to vote against the government, with many more set to abstain on the plans. But the party's whips have threatened serious consequences for those who rebel or abstain.

And last night Sir Keir suffered a blow as one of his frontbench team resigned over the planned cuts to benefits. Vicky Foxcroft quit as a government whip and called on the prime minister to "support more disabled people into work" instead.

In a letter to the prime minister, she said she could not vote for reforms that "include cuts to disabled people's finances". She added: "I do not believe that cuts to personal independence payment (PIP) and the health element of Universal Credit should be part of the solution."