By Nicholas Cecil And Christopher McKeon
Sir Keir Starmer was scrambling to limit the size of a Labour revolt over welfare reforms which was threatening to be the biggest yet of his year-long premiership.
Cabinet ministers were holding talks with potential rebels to try to persuade them to back the Government or at least abstain in a crunch Commons vote on Tuesday evening.
But dozens of Labour MPs were expected to still refuse to back the controversial shake-up of the benefits system, despite a series of concessions having already been made.
A reasoned amendment aimed at halting the progress of the Government’s welfare reforms has been selected for separate decision, Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said.
The amendment was tabled by Labour MP Rachael Maskell (York Central) and has been signed by 39 Labour backbenchers, far short of the 83 needed to defeat the Government..
However, the rebellion, and how the PM responds to it, will inevitably raise questions over the Prime Minister鈥檚 authority.
One option is to remove the whip from rebels but the bigger the revolt, the more difficult it is to take this course of action.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds urged Labour MPs to back the welfare reforms, insisting the proposals are in a “stronger position” than last week after the concessions.
Asked what the consequences would be for backbenchers rejecting the Bill, he told Sky News there had been a “positive conversation with colleagues about what they want from this process”.
Ministers hope the partial U-turn already announced will be enough to win over enough Labour rebels to get the reforms through their first stage in the Commons.
The concessions included protecting people claiming personal independence payment (Pip) from changes due to come into effect in November 2026, and rowing back plans to cut the health-related element of universal credit.
But backbench anger has continued to simmer, with a statement from Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall laying out the concessions on Monday receiving a negative response.
Asked whether he was 鈥渃onfident鈥 that the concessions had done enough to secure passage of the Universal Credit and Personal Independent Payment Bill, disabilities minister Sir Stephen Timms would only tell Sky News: 鈥淚 certainly hope it passes.鈥
Some 126 Labour MPs had previously signed a 鈥渞easoned amendment鈥 proposed by Treasury Committee chairwoman Dame Meg Hillier that would have stopped the legislation if approved.
That rebellion appeared to have been averted after Dame Meg described concessions agreed on Friday as a 鈥渨orkable compromise鈥.
But in the Commons on Monday, she was one of several senior Labour figures to raise concerns about the Government鈥檚 revised proposals, while another MP involved in negotiations, Debbie Abrahams, suggested ministers had rowed back on what had been agreed.
Some sceptical MPs are expected to abstain on Tuesday, but could vote against the Bill next week if there are no further concessions.
One of the chief concerns revolves around a review of Pip to be carried out by Sir Stephen and 鈥渃o-produced鈥 with disabled people.
His review is not expected to report until autumn next year, making it difficult to incorporate his findings into the Pip changes due to take place at the same time.
Ms Abrahams suggested the timing meant the outcome of the review was 鈥減re-determined鈥, while Sarah Owen, another select committee chairwoman, warned it could create a 鈥渢hree-tier鈥 benefit system.
Groups including Disability Rights UK and Disabled People Against Cuts criticised the Government鈥檚 claim that Sir Stephen鈥檚 review would be 鈥渃o-produced鈥 with them and urged Labour rebels to stand firm.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said her party鈥檚 MPs would vote against the proposals, describing them as 鈥渘ot serious welfare reform鈥 and saying ministers had 鈥渨atered down the small savings Labour were making鈥.
The original proposals were expected to save 拢4.8 billion by 2030, but Ms Kendall revealed on Monday that the revised proposals were likely to save less than half that figure.