Mayor backs rebel London MPs over benefit cuts

The mayor of London has said the government must think again about its plans to cut benefits for disabled people.

Sir Sadiq Khan said on Tuesday the proposed changes - which aim to save £5bn by 2030 - would "destroy" the financial safety net of many disabled and disadvantaged Londoners.

His intervention comes after a number of London's Labour MPs signed a rebel amendment that aims to block the changes when they come to the Commons next week.

But Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the welfare system was "unsustainable" and told journalists on Tuesday: "I intend to press ahead as a Labour government with our reforms."

The government plans to change the way people can access the personal independence payment, called Pip, introducing additional requirements to successfully claim the benefit.

Meanwhile, proposed changes to Universal Credit (UC) will mean more than two million existing recipients seeing an average loss of £500 a year.

The Greater London Authority (GLA) said its analysis indicates the government's plans would affect 440,000 Londoners claiming Pip and 240,000 claiming UC.

It said Londoners stand to lose more than £820m in total as a result of the proposed changes.

Tighter eligibility criteria for Pip will cause income losses for disabled Londoners of between £3,800 and £5,700 per year and affect up to 46% of current claimants, according to the GLA.

The changes will be in the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill which is due to be debated and voted on in the Commons next Tuesday.

Dame Meg Hillier, Labour MP for Hackney South and Shoreditch and chair of the Commons Treasury committee, put down an amendment to the bill saying it should not proceed.

That amendment has now been signed by around 120 Labour MPs, including Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Diane Abbott, Florence Eshalomi, Helen Hayes, Clive Efford and Stella Creasy, who all represent London seats.

It is the biggest rebellion the government has faced since it won the general election in May 2024 with 411 MPs and a 174-seat majority.

The mayor said while he backs measures that support people getting off benefits and into work, "what we can't do is take away the vital safety net that so many vulnerable and disabled Londoners rely upon".

He added: "Having looked at the analysis of the government's plans, the impact on London will be substantial, and for too many disabled Londoners it will destroy their financial safety net.

"The government must urgently think again. It must look again at the potential hardship these changes will force on thousands of vulnerable and disabled Londoners."

Sir Sadiq said additional employment and training support must be brought in as soon as possible, and "proper transitional protections" put in place before anyone started to lose their benefits.

But the prime minister said he would press on with these reforms because the current system "isn't working".

Sir Keir Starmer, who is in the Netherlands for a Nato summit, told the BBC: "In the end it's a stark choice, you either remain with a system which is broken, doesn't work and traps people and doesn't help them into work.

"Or we reform it and makes sure it's fit for the future, that properly protects people who do need protection, and helps people into work."

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