Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill Committee: Clause 2, as amended, and Clause 3 stand part

Parliament voted on 9 July 2025 to approve Clauses 2 and 3 of the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill as amended, the core provisions of the government's welfare reform legislation. The motion passed by 335 votes to 135. These clauses contain the principal substance of proposed changes to Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment, the two largest working-age benefits in the UK system.

The vote advances the government's plan to reshape how disability and incapacity benefits are assessed and paid. The reforms affect millions of claimants across the country, altering eligibility criteria and payment structures for Personal Independence Payment and the health-related components of Universal Credit. Supporters argue the changes are necessary to ensure the benefits system is sustainable and better targeted, while opponents contend the reforms will reduce support for disabled people and those with long-term health conditions who depend on these payments.

Labour voted largely in favour, providing the government its majority, though 38 Labour and Labour and Co-operative members voted against, representing a notable rebellion on the government's own benches. Every other party with members present voted against, including the Liberal Democrats (63 votes against), the Scottish National Party (9), Plaid Cymru (4), the Green Party (4), and the Democratic Unionist Party (4). The bill sits within a wider political controversy over welfare spending that has dominated parliamentary business through mid-2025, with the government facing sustained pressure both from opposition parties and from within its own parliamentary group over the pace and scale of cuts to disability support.