The leader of the Fire Brigades Union is calling on Labour MPs to vote against the government’s proposed cuts to benefits.
Steve Wright has become the first general secretary of a trade union affiliated to the Labour Party to explicitly tell Sir Keir Starmer’s MPs to rebel against his plans.
Wright told the BBC: “the most vulnerable and poorest in society are being asked to pay for a crisis they didn’t cause. I don’t believe that is why people are involved in the Labour movement.”
He added that he believed the move would lead to “the normalisation of the cost of living crisis” for many, and should be rejected.
Ministers have set out plans for a benefits shake-up that aims to save around £5bn a year by 2030, including tightening eligibility for Personal Independence Payment, the main disability benefit in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
There are also planned changes to universal credit.
Under-22s will no longer be able to claim the health-related element of universal credit, and the health top-up for new claimants is being cut from £97 to £50 per week from April 2026.
A new top-up payment for those with the most severe conditions is to be introduced.
Voting on the plans is expected as soon as next month.
Steve Wright was elected as the FBU’s general secretary in January.
There are eleven trades unions affiliated to the Labour Party.
The FBU reaffiliated to the party in 2015, more than 10 years after it withdrew its support when Tony Blair was prime minister.
Ministers insist changes to the benefits system are essential to encourage more people back to work and to limit the expansion of the cost to taxpayers of the welfare state.
So far 27 Labour MPs have said publicly that they will vote against the government but with Keir Starmer’s huge majority, it is widely expected the changes will happen.
