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UC and PIP bill third reading

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The third reading of the Universal Credit and Personal Independent Payment Bill has started.

MPs will be debating and voting on large number of proposed amendments before the vote on the whole bill, which is expected to be at around 7.00pm

You can watch the debate live on parliament tv here.

We won’t be giving a blow-by-blow account of the various debates and votes, but you are welcome to comment on proceedings below the line.

There is a very detailed guide to today’s proceedings, including which amendments will be voted on available on the parliament website.

Other documents relating to the bill are on this page

 This is the final list of amendments, running to 34 pages.

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  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    Slb
    · 18 minutes ago
    I'm beginning to believe that before voting on a matter in the Commons, MPs should be given a test on their knowledge of it.  They would need to pass the test to be allowed to vote.  We don't pay their wages to spout drivel and vote in line with misinformed prejudices. 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    Sam
    · 43 minutes ago
    I'm now starting to develop a facial twitch every time I hear timms voice. This also applies to anyone saying he's well respected. What I wouldn't give to have someone say disabled people and sick wouldn't trust him if he said water was wet! 
    I'm listening but if I here the shadow DWP woman I'm clicking off, no way can I take listening to her tell me I just need to cope better with theuosand downs of life or whatever..... I do so enjoy having people in power voice all my self hatred out loud
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    Boo
    · 1 hours ago
    Alison Hume MP labour Scarborough & Whitby just gave a powerful & impassionate speech and as ask the government to pull this bill.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    John
    · 1 hours ago
    An MP has said the longer people remain on disability and sickness benefits the more disabled or unwell they are. So we need to get people off disability and sickness benefits. With such genius insights I wonder if next they will proposing chucking people out of hospitals after 1 week as the longer people stay in hospital the more ill they are. And people who leave hospital earlier are more well. 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    maggie
    · 1 hours ago
    Such an important bill, that will affect so many disabled, yet how few  mp's have bothered to turn up for the debate.
    The chamber should be full to bursting.
    I bet all the aye's will be there later for the vote.
    Why am I not surprised.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    John
    · 1 hours ago
    A MP praised the bill on the basis it would take 50,000 people out of poverty. Presumably they do not read Benefits and Works News stories. 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    Slb
    · 1 hours ago
    Can't believe that the chamber is nearly empty.  
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    Boo
    · 1 hours ago
    Terry Jeremy MP labour South West Norfolk is giving a powerful speech from a position of his own family lived experiences of the welfare system and NHS.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    phil
    · 1 hours ago
    I watched all of 30 seconds of it. A Tory saying that welfare was too generous and that he had a constituent who wondered why he bothered working. I couldn't believe it. Why bother turning up for a debate to spit out an old Tory trope from about 40 years ago ?
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    John
    · 2 hours ago
    DWP minister for disability Timms has also said the bill UC severe criteria is identical to the current UC severe criteria. He does not understand that the current UC severe criteria of will always meet LCWRA eligibility just requires LCWRA descriptors apply most of the time, and is not the same as will constantly meet an LCWRA descriptor all the time. He also appears oblivious to the current UC severe criteria applying to schedule 9 substantial risk in addition to schedule 7 descriptors, and the bill only covering schedule 7 descriptors. And the MP he intervene likewise does not understand the benefits system, and thanked him for explaining it and reassuring people. 
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      John
      · 31 minutes ago
      @tintack Timms has intervened on the issue twice so far during this debate. In his first intervention he said the bill's definition of severe conditions criteria is identical to the one currently used. It is not. In his second intervention you saw he goes on about safely, repeatedly, reliable. But thinks this has to constantly apply in the current definition, it does not, it just has to apply most days.

      And earlier he made an erroneous statement about how UC health/LCWRA works with fluctuating conditions where people have periods where they are well for months to over a year.

      He does not understand the severe conditions criteria designed to protect claimants, and he does not understand the existing claimants criteria designed to protect claimants.

      It is staggering that he is the Minister for Disability in large part due to his supposed expertise having been on the DWP select committee for years. And that his expertise is being relied upon to write the legislation and give facts to MPs in the Commons, in Committee meetings, in written answers to MPs. And he is going to be relied upon to do the PIP review and change the PIP assessment system.

      If we had knowledgeable competent MPs they would be saying no your wrong, will you correct the record or amend the bill and making it obvious he is not the expert MPs think he is.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      John
      · 48 minutes ago
      @tintack Timms thinks the current criteria is the LCWRA individual descriptor constantly (all the time, every day) applies that is always being unable to do the task safely, repeatedly, reliably.

      When it is actually LCWRA eligibility constantly applies which means they will always be eligible for LCWRA. LCWRA eligibility just requires the descriptor applies most of the time (most days) being unable to do the task safely, repeatedly, reliably.

      Timms also appears oblivious to people who are always going to be eligible for LCWRA due to schedule 9 substantial risk being currently eligible for the severe conditions criteria. But not eligible in the bill as the bill only gives eligibility for schedule 7 descriptors. 
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      tintack
      · 1 hours ago
      @John
      The bit I saw was Timms responding to Kirsty Blackman. He said that the question an assessor would have to ask is, can you do x,y,z safely, repeatedly and reliably. If the answer is no then even if you can do it at one particular time, or your condition doesn't affect you in the way laid out by the descriptor every single time, then the descriptor would still apply. His implication was that this would be enough to qualify for the severe conditions group, i.e. fluctuating conditions would still qualify even under the current definition of "constantly"as laid out in the bill.

      I think there is going to have to be some detailed clarification over this, because as things stand the wording of the bill and Timms' statement at the dispatch box clearly do not match.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    John
    · 2 hours ago
    According to the DWP Minister for disability and major architect of the bill Timms someone whose health improves can carry on receiving UC health LCWRA so when their health deteriorates they are still an existing claimant. He does not understand how the benefits system works. Nor does the MP responding to his intervention. If your health improves to the point you would no longer be eligible for a benefit and you fail to notify the DWP of that relevant change you would be committing benefit fraud. You cannot carry on claiming on the basis that you think/know that sometime in the future in many months to over a years time you will again meet the eligibility criteria. 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    kevin
    · 3 hours ago
    Debate? What debate, there is no debate, this bill is already passed, they have circumvented the so called rebelion, rearranged the so called concessions to do exactly what they planned in the first place and they win, they always do and we the delusional victimised minority are the losers. 

    This is just the beginning of the end of financial support for disabled and especially mentally ill people. Democracy and the house of commons is a play house, the script is written and they play their parts to their conclusion. The idea we have any say or control is delusional thinking and as they government would say during World War 1, if you believe the war is mad you're mad. We are all mad for believing we live in a democracy and have any say over our pitiful lives that are about to come crashing down even further than before. I for one will not be around to see it as without this help ill be homeless and i'd rather be dead.  
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    Cuckoo21
    · 4 hours ago
    Does anyone know what time the debate starts? I would like to watch it.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      FloMcF
      · 1 hours ago
      @Slb :)
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      Slb
      · 2 hours ago
      @FloMcF 504 on Sky
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      Cuckoo21
      · 2 hours ago
      @FloMcF Thanks 👍
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      Slb
      · 2 hours ago
      @Cuckoo21 It's on all afternoon.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      Bud
      · 3 hours ago
      @Cuckoo21 House of Commons

      Wednesday 9 July 2025 Meeting started at 11.33am

      You can watch the debate live on parliament tv here.  Not sure if the link will work, but it’s the 3rd paragraph down. 

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