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a Labour MP has warned that Circus Star
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Dama and Rachel Reeves could face the
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mother of all rebellions over welfare
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policy if they do not rethink cuts to
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disability benefits amid warnings over
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rising child poverty the prime minister
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and chancellor could face having a big
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rebellion on their hands over the
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controversial move to balance the books
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richard Bergen MP for Leeds East has
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said bergen a former shadow justice
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secretary under Jeremy Corbyn told Times
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Radio there were plenty of Labour MPs
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right across the board who are extremely
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concerned about Reeves's 4.8 billion
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pound squeeze on welfare announced at
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Wednesday's spring statement well Reeves
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policy change is expected to hit around
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3 million families on incapacity
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benefits while 800,000 claimants will
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have reduced personal independence
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payments or PIP it also comes as new
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figures from the Department of Work and
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Pensions DWP revealing that the number
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of children living in poverty in the UK
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has reached a new record high with some
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4.45 million children in households in
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relative low income in the year to March
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2024 this has increased from the
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previous record of 4.33 million in the
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12 months to March 2023 and is the
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highest figure since comparable records
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for the UK began in 2002 so what are
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Labour MPs saying bergen told the
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broadcaster if the government doesn't
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drop plans to tighten welfare he would
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vote against them and he insisted he
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wasn't alone he said there were plenty
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of people right across the board who are
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really concerned adding "There are many
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more MPs than people think who are
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really concerned about this." Asked to
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estimate the size of a rebellion if MPs
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were to vote against the government in
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large numbers bergen said it's no
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exaggeration to say if the government
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doesn't rethink this policy in relation
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to disability benefits he thinks it
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would be the mother of all rebellions he
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argued it could be the kind of rebellion
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on a scale I wouldn't have thought last
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July when we won the election that we
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would see at all under the first term of
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this Labor government other left-wing
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Labour MPs have also appeared to express
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discontent with the government asked on
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Sky News whether they were a
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disappointment norwich South MP Clive
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Lewis paused before eventually saying "I
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think we're at the point now where
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people can see that this isn't what we
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expected," adding that in that sense it
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is a disappointment other MPs expressing
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frustration over the government's
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welfare reforms including Kim Johnson
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and Debbie Abrahams who called it
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nothing short of sadistically cruel and
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asked "How will making people sicker and
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poorer help in terms of driving our
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economy and people into jobs?" So what
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has the government said about all this
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rachel Reeves has said she is absolutely
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certain her welfare reforms will not
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push people into poverty appearing to
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reject official warnings about their
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impact as well as denying there will be
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further tax rises or spending cuts in
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the autumn but not ruling them out
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entirely she told Sky News "I am
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absolutely certain that our reforms
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instead of pushing people into poverty
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are going to get people into work." She
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added "And we know that if you move from
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welfare into work you are much less
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likely to be in poverty." Adding that
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the welfare state will always be there
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for people who genuinely need it do you
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think Labour could face the mother of
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all rebellions let us know your thoughts
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in the comments and follow CTM for all
3:08
the latest on the spring statement and
