By Andrew Quinn
Only two Scottish Labour MPs have signed a new amendment to block the UK Government’s benefit cuts. Brian Leishman and Maureen Burke are part of a group of 39 Labour MPs who publicly backed a bid to stop the welfare reforms from becoming law. A dozen Scottish MPs – part of a UK-wide group of 126 – had previously backed another amendment which would have killed the bill. But they have not all backed the new amendment after the Labour Government’s partial U-turn. Ministers have since announced their changes to the benefits system will protect existing claimants of personal independence payments (Pip) and the health element of universal credit. The new amendment said it would block the bill because there had been no “formal consultation with disabled people” and the full impact assessment has not been published. Although only a couple of Scottish MPs have signed the amendment , it is not yet clear how many will back the government when the bill goes to a vote on Tuesday evening. The UK Government’s own figures showed the cuts would push 150,000 people across the UK into poverty . SNP Work and Pensions spokesperson Kirsty Blackman MP said: 鈥淚t speaks volumes that Scottish Labour MPs are marking a year in power by pushing 150,000 disabled people into poverty . 鈥淜eir Starmer鈥檚 cuts will take vital support away from people with Parkinsons, Multiple Sclerosis and other disabilities – and create an unfair two tier system of disability support that will punish younger generations, and the newly sick, injured or disabled, who will lose out. 鈥淰oters were promised change but instead they鈥檙e getting austerity cuts that even the Tories didn鈥檛 impose.” She added: 鈥淭here is still time to do the right thing. I urge Scottish Labour MPs to find a backbone and join the SNP in voting against these shameful cuts later today.鈥 Most Scots on disability benefit receive the devolved Adult Disability Payment (ADP) rather than PIP. Universal Credit is UK-wide. The SNP has said it will not cut ADP, although it has not said how it will fund it. To sign up to the Daily R ecord Politics newsletter, click here