Exactly one year after Labour's historic victory in the July 2024 general election, the authority of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has diminished and his decisions have come under scrutiny – even from within his own party. On Tuesday, July 1, his highly controversial disability benefits reform bill passed in the House of Commons, but only after a series of last-minute, humiliating concessions. Although Labour holds 403 out of 650 seats in the lower house at Westminster, the bill was adopted by only 335 votes, with dozens of Labour MPs refusing to back a measure that had been stripped of almost all its substance by Downing Street.

In its original version, still staunchly defended just a week ago by Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Liz Kendall, the bill called for drastically tightening the eligibility criteria for the Personal Independence Payment (PIP), the main disability allowance in the United Kingdom. From November 2026, all those already eligible or wishing to become eligible would have to prove that they have at least four points awarded for their disability in order to receive or continue to receive the benefit. This means that a person unable to prepare meals or wash their lower body would no longer be eligible for PIP.

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