Vicky Foxcroft walks out warning more resignations will follow as rebels say they WON’T let 1.2million vulnerable Britons be stripped of thousands
Sir Keir Starmer’s government is in meltdown after his first frontbench resignation over controversial welfare cuts that will strip £1,720 a year from 1.2 million disabled Britons – with rebels warning this is just the beginning.
Vicky Foxcroft dramatically quit as a Government Whip last night in a blistering 535-word resignation letter, becoming the first minister to walk out over the Prime Minister’s plans to slash Britain’s benefits bill by £5billion.
The explosive resignation has left Starmer bracing for a wave of frontbench departures ahead of the crucial July 1 vote, with Labour insiders warning it’s “almost impossible to believe it’ll be the last.”
REBELLION REACHES BOILING POINT
In an extraordinary show of defiance, more than 170 Labour MPs have now signed letters expressing deep concerns about the welfare cuts – representing nearly HALF of the parliamentary party.
At least 42 MPs have already publicly confirmed they will vote against their own government, with dozens more expected to join them in what could be the biggest Labour rebellion in decades.
A Labour rebel told Politico last night: [It’s] almost impossible to believe it’ll be the last.”
The scale of opposition means Starmer needs just 83 Labour rebels to side with the opposition to see his flagship policy defeated – a humiliating prospect for a Prime Minister with a 165-seat majority.
‘I CANNOT VOTE FOR CUTS TO DISABLED PEOPLE’
In her devastating resignation letter to the Prime Minister, Foxcroft – who previously served as shadow minister for disabled people – laid bare her anguish at the proposed cuts.
“I absolutely understand the need to address the ever-increasing welfare bill in these difficult economic times,” she wrote.
“But I have always believed this could and should be done by supporting more disabled people into work. I do not believe that cuts to personal independence payment (PIP) and the health element of Universal Credit should be part of the solution.
The Lewisham North MP revealed she had “wrestled” with the decision but concluded: “I know I will not be able to do the job that is required of me and whip – or indeed vote – for reforms which include cuts to disabled people’s finances.
THE BRUTAL REALITY OF THE CUTS
The government’s own impact assessment reveals the devastating scale of the proposed changes:
- 3.2 million families will lose an average of £1,720 a year by 2029-30
- 250,000 people will be pushed into relative poverty
- 1.2 million disabled people face losing Personal Independence Payments
- The health element of Universal Credit will be cut by 50% for new claimants
- Only those aged 22 and over will be able to claim sickness-related Universal Credit
Critics have branded it “the biggest attack on the welfare state since George Osborne ushered in the years of austerity.
LABOUR’S FOURTH RESIGNATION
Foxcroft becomes the fourth member of Starmer’s government to quit, following:
- Former Transport Secretary Louise Haigh
- Former City Minister Tulip Siddiq
- Former International Development Minister Anneliese Dodds
The mounting resignations have left the Prime Minister’s authority in tatters just months after his landslide election victory.
REBELS PRAISED FOR ‘PRINCIPLED STAND’
Labour MPs rushed to praise Foxcroft’s courage, with many hinting they could follow her lead.
Crewe and Nantwich MP Connor Naismith expressed “huge respect” for Foxcroft, saying: “This must have been an incredibly difficult decision.”
Jonathan Brash, Hartlepool MP and member of the ‘Blue Labour‘ group, said: “She’s right. Our welfare system does need to change, but the cuts proposed are not the right way to do it.”
Calder Valley MP Josh Fenton-Glynn called it “a brave and principled stand”, while Brent East MP Dawn Butler said: “I know this would have been a very hard decision to make. I totally understand.”
Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, who lost the Labour whip last year for rebelling over the two-child benefit cap, posted: “Vicky Foxcroft worked really hard as the shadow minister for the disabled & as a result will have a thorough understanding of the implications of the benefit cuts on disabled people. I fully respect her for the decision she has taken.”
‘BIGGEST ATTACK SINCE AUSTERITY’
The 42 MPs who signed a public letter opposing the cuts pulled no punches in their condemnation:
“The planned cuts of more than £7bn represent the biggest attack on the welfare state since George Osborne ushered in the years of austerity and over three million of our poorest and most disadvantaged will be affected.”
They warned bluntly: “Without a change in direction, the green paper will be impossible to support.”
One Labour MP told ITV News: “I didn’t become a Labour MP to make people poorer.
DESPERATE WHIPS TRY TO CONTAIN REVOLT
Government Whips have ramped up efforts to prevent a catastrophic defeat, with insiders revealing desperate tactics to keep rebels in line.
In an unprecedented move, whips are reportedly offering potential rebels the chance to abstain or simply miss the vote without punishment – effectively allowing them to dodge the controversial decision.
No10 is also warning wavering MPs that voting against the cuts would put them “on the same side as Reform UK leader Nigel Farage” – a tactic that has infuriated backbenchers.
KENDALL DEFIANT DESPITE REVOLT
Work & Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall remained defiant yesterday, insisting the reforms were necessary despite the growing rebellion.
“Our social security system is at a crossroads,” she declared. “Unless we reform it, more people will be denied opportunities, and it may not be there for those who need it.”
She claimed the legislation represents “a new social contract” that would provide “compassion, opportunity and dignity.”
But her words rang hollow for the growing number of Labour MPs preparing to torpedo her plans.
ECHOES OF BLAIR’S DOWNFALL
The scale of the rebellion has drawn comparisons to Tony Blair’s most difficult moments, when Labour backbenchers repeatedly defied the whip over contentious policies.
One senior Labour source warned: “This is Keir’s Iraq moment. If he pushes ahead, it could define his entire premiership.”
THE NUCLEAR OPTION
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner refused to rule out the nuclear option of withdrawing the whip from rebels – a move that would spark civil war within the party.
When asked by SNP MP Pete Wishart whether rebels would be punished, Rayner pointedly said only: “We’re absolutely committed to ending child poverty.
The threat hangs over the rebels like a sword of Damocles, with memories fresh of how Starmer stripped the whip from seven MPs who voted against the two-child benefit cap last year.
GOVERNMENT IN PANIC MODE
Sources reveal the government is in full panic mode, with “roundtable” discussions hastily arranged at Number 10 to try to win over concerned MPs.
The Prime Minister has been personally calling wavering backbenchers, while ministers have been deployed to butter up potential rebels.
But with just days until the vote, time is running out to prevent what could be the most humiliating defeat of Starmer’s premiership.
THE TICKING CLOCK
As July 1 approaches, all eyes are on how many more frontbenchers will follow Foxcroft out the door.
One Labour MP summed up the mood: “The government can avoid splitting our movement by withdrawing these cuts entirely and uniting our party around a progressive programme. Otherwise, this could tear Labour apart.”
With 170 MPs already expressing concerns and more joining the rebellion daily, Starmer faces the nightmare scenario of seeing his flagship policy defeated by his own MPs – a humiliation that would shatter his authority and raise serious questions about his political future.
Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street. “Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosts Adolescence roundtable.” Used under the UK Open Government Licence v3.0 (https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/)
