At the time of writing more than 120 Labour MPs have signed a “reasoned amendment” which “declines to give a Second Reading” to the Bill, threatening to kill it off. If all the opposition MPs supported the amendment then the government would be defeated. If the Tories were to come to the government’s rescue, it would only increase the outrage at the government’s insistence on impoverishing hundreds of thousands of disabled people. As we write this the Prime Minister is insisting they will not back down. Threats from the Whips don’t appear to be working. Pippa Crerar of the Guardian is reporting that the number has gone up from 108 to 127. Whips are pressing some MPs to remove their name.
We don’t have a complete list of the MPs supporting the amendment but you can find more than 100 of them here in a Labourlist article. If your MP is not on the list please email them. If they are signatories why not thank them for signing it and encourage them to stand their ground if the government refuses to move?
Clive Lewis MP has said
“This has now shifted beyond discipline or fiscal credibility. It’s a punitive, flawed policy that weakens the safety net, harms disabled people, and risks destroying Labour’s moral authority & electoral future. Voters aren’t just watching what we cut – but who we protect.”
Amendment
Labour Campaign for Council Housing 