Welfare bill will not be included in government's King's Speech

"Sir Keir Starmer has not included a second attempt to reform welfare in Wednesday's King's Speech, the BBC has learnt. The prime minister's first attempt to make significant changes to the welfare system, including restricting eligibility for some health-related benefits, resulted in a mass revolt of Labour MPs and an embarrassing climbdown for the government in June 2025. Since then ministers have announced a pair of reviews designed to generate new ideas, as well as a handful of measures designed to incentivise more people to work."

"It is understood that the government is not yet ready to propose a new parliamentary bill on welfare, so it will not form part of Wednesday's proceedings. The speech is when the King formally unveils the government's agenda for the next year or so. It means that any new legislation on welfare will not even be introduced to Parliament until mid-2027 at the earliest, despite the policy area being one of the government's main priorities."

"A government source stressed that they were making reforms in this area without new legislation, such as "right to try" rules meaning people with health conditions can undertake work without necessarily having their benefits reassessed, and a guarantee of paid work placements for 18 to 21-year-olds who have been out of work or education for over 18 months."

"A major constraint on the government's ability to pursue new legislation in this area is the Timms Review, a review of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) system which the government committed to as part of its climbdown on benefit cuts last year. It is being led by Sir Stephen Timms, a government minister, as well as organisations which"

A second attempt to reform welfare was not included in Wednesday’s King’s Speech. The prime minister’s earlier welfare changes, including restricting eligibility for some health-related benefits, triggered a mass revolt among Labour MPs and a government climbdown in June 2025. Since then, ministers have announced reviews to generate new ideas and some measures to encourage more people to work. The government is not ready to propose a new welfare bill, so welfare legislation will not be introduced until mid-2027 at the earliest. Reforms are planned without new legislation, including “right to try” rules for people with health conditions and paid work placements for 18 to 21-year-olds out of work or education for over 18 months. The Timms Review of the Personal Independence Payment system constrains further legislative progress.

Read at www.bbc.com