Labour MP Vicky Foxcroft has resigned as a Government whip over the party’s welfare proposals.
She said in a letter to the Prime Minister she could not vote ‘for reforms which include cuts to disabled people’s finances’.
The Lewisham North MP wrote on X: ‘With a heavy heart, I have written to the Prime Minister to tender my resignation as a whip.
‘Whilst I will continue to support the government in delivering the change the country so desperately needs, I cannot vote in favour of the proposed reforms to disability benefits.’
Ms Foxcroft is the first Labour frontbencher to stand down ahead of an expected showdown in Parliament next month, where a number of MPs are expected to block the reforms.
The reforms are set out in new welfare legislation which was published on Wednesday and is due to be voted on in Parliament on July 1.
Keir Starmer has insisted he will not bow to pressure to water down the curbs on sickness and disability benefits, despite massive pressure.
This a breaking news story. More to follow.
