Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill Committee: Amendment 38

What happened: The House of Commons voted on Amendment 38 to the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill during its Committee stage on 9 July 2025. The amendment, which sought to provide more generous protections or benefits for claimants, was defeated by 334 votes to 149. The government opposed the amendment, and the result meant it would not be incorporated into the bill.

Why it matters: The Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill is the legislative vehicle for significant changes to the welfare system affecting millions of disabled people and low-income households across the UK. Amendment 38 would have altered the bill's provisions in a direction more favourable to claimants, whether by softening planned cuts, adding eligibility protections, or expanding entitlements. Its defeat means the government's version of these welfare reforms remains intact at this stage, with claimants facing the changes as the government originally proposed them.

The politics: The most striking feature of this vote was the scale of Labour rebellion: 44 Labour MPs and 4 Labour and Co-operative MPs voted against their own government, a combined total of 48 MPs from parties that form the governing bloc. Every other party represented in the division voted in favour of the amendment, including the Liberal Democrats (65 votes), the SNP, Plaid Cymru, the Greens, the DUP, Reform UK, and the SDLP. Despite this broad cross-party coalition in support, the government's commanding majority meant the amendment fell comfortably. This vote sits within a wider pattern of contested welfare reform divisions on the same day, reflecting sustained parliamentary pressure on the government over its disability and benefits agenda.