Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill Committee: New Clause 8

Wednesday, 9 July 2025 · Division No. 263 · Commons

130Ayes

–

443Noes

Defeated

76 MPs did not vote

leftGovernment defeatedPro Disability Benefits(Yes)Anti Benefit Cuts(Yes)Pro Inflation Benefit Uprating(Yes)Pro Welfare Expansion(Yes)

Voting Yes means

Support protecting Universal Credit for the most vulnerable claimants (those with severe disabilities or terminal illness) in Northern Ireland from real-terms cuts by guaranteeing inflation-linked increases

Voting No means

Oppose this amendment, either because the government considers it unnecessary, does not want to constrain spending in this way, or prefers to handle Northern Ireland welfare policy separately

What happened: On 9 July 2025, MPs voted on New Clause 8 during the committee stage of the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill. The clause was defeated by 443 votes to 130. The committee stage was being heard on the floor of the House of Commons rather than in a separate committee room, meaning all MPs could participate in the vote.

Why it matters: New Clause 8 was a proposal to add additional protections or enhancements for welfare claimants to the bill, going beyond the government's original text. Its defeat means the bill continues without those additions, keeping the legislation closer to what the government originally proposed. The bill itself deals with changes to Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment, two of the largest working-age benefit programmes in the UK, affecting millions of disabled people and low-income households.

The politics: The Liberal Democrats (64 ayes), SNP (9), Plaid Cymru (4), Greens (4), and several independents (8) backed the clause, forming a cross-party pro-welfare-expansion grouping. The Conservatives (94) and Reform UK (5) voted against alongside Labour's main block (336 combined Labour and Labour-Co-operative no votes). Notably, 36 Labour and Labour-Co-operative MPs voted aye, representing a significant internal rebellion against the government's position. The vote sits within a wider pattern of tension over the government's welfare reform agenda, with multiple related divisions on the same day and an opposition day debate on welfare following shortly after on 15 July.