One Labour MP sums up shambolic Commons scenes last night
One Labour MP best summed up the shambolic scenes in the Commons last night as the government gutted its controversial welfare reforms.
Mary Kelly Foy told the chamber: “I popped out for a banana earlier on, and when I came back in things had changed again, so I’m more unclear on what I’m voting on.”
The City of Durham MP was not alone.
Just 90 minutes before MPs were due to vote – in a highly unusual move – the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) minister Sir Stephen Timms had intervened during an MP’s speech.
He announced a major U-turn on cuts to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) – a key disability benefit that has caused major divisions in Labour ranks.
On top of previous concessions last week, he said an entire section of the welfare bill on tightening the eligibility for PIP would be removed and planned cuts shelved.
Instead, reform of the system will have to wait until a review reports back – in autumn 2026.
The left-wing MP Ian Lavery declared: “This is crazy, man.”