A LABOUR frontbencher dramatically quit last night in protest at plans to slash disability benefits.
Vicky Foxcroft resigned as a Government whip in fury at “reforms which include cuts to disabled people’s finances”.
The Lewisham North MP said she could no longer vote for the plans – and would not help enforce them on colleagues.
In a letter to the PM, she wrote: “I have wrestled with whether I should resign or remain in the Government and fight for change from within.
“Sadly it is now (sic) seems that we are not going to get the changes I desperately wanted to see.
“I therefore submit my resignation as I understand I will not be able to fulfill the role required of me and support – or indeed vote for – reforms that include reductions to disabled individuals’ finances.”
Ms. Foxcroft, who had previously held the position of shadow minister for disabled people, is the first frontbencher to step down over these plans, and the second to resign due to policy issues since Anneliese Dodds stepped down over aid reductions.
The reforms – introduced in Parliament on Wednesday – will delay sickness support in Universal Credit until age 22.
They also tighten eligibility for Personal Independence Payment, the main disability benefit.
Ministers are hopeful that the £5 billion annual overhaul will encourage more individuals to move from sickness benefits into employment, though the Government’s own data acknowledges that the population receiving disability benefits will still increase by 750,000 by the year 2030.
MPs are expected to vote on the plans on July 1, when the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill gets its second reading in the Commons.
But dozens of Labour backbenchers have said the plans are “impossible to support” and will push more people into poverty.
This comes as a record 3.74 million people are now claiming disability benefits – with teenagers and young adults fuelling the rise, shock new figures reveal.
The number of people on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) has shot up by 200,000 in a year, according to official data.
It’s up from 3.54 million in April last year and nearly double the 2.05 million on the books in 2019.
Young claimants are also climbing fast, with 16 to 19-year-olds now making up 16.5 per cent of all PIP cases – up from 14.6 per cent in 2019.
There has been a similar rise for the 30-44 age group, which accounted for 21.0 per cent in April this year, up from 18.9 per cent in April 2019.
By contrast, 45-59 year-olds made up 29.9 per cent of claimants in April, down from 37.2 per cent in 2019.
The figure for 60-74 year-olds has risen slightly over this period, from 29.3 per cent to 30.8 per cent.
The damning figures come as Sir Keir Starmer is standing firm in the face of a growing rebellion over his plans to tighten the eligibility for PIP.
Dozens of Labour MPs have already warned the plans are “impossible to support” – claiming the changes risk hitting hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people.
The reforms will see tougher rules brought in for new and existing claimants, with ministers hoping to slash £5 billion a year from the ballooning disability benefits bill.
It’s understood that up to 800,000 people could lose access to PIP under the proposed changes, which are aimed at cutting back on awards linked to mental health conditions and other “less visible” illnesses.
It was reported in recent days that Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall has agreed to include “non-negotiable” protections in the Bill – including a 13-week grace period for people who no longer qualify, instead of payments stopping after just four weeks.
The move is seen as an attempt to head off a Labour rebellion, but one MP dismissed it as “not very much really”.
Speaking at the weekend, the PM made clear his intention to push ahead with the reforms.
Asked whether there would be further concessions, Sir Keir said: “Well we have got to get the reforms through and I have been clear about that from start to finish.
“The system is not working, it’s not working for those that need support, it’s not working for taxpayers.
“Everybody agrees it needs reform, we have got to reform it and that is what we intend to do.”
