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Iain Duncan Smith resignation: 145,000 sign petition against benefits cuts – live
Iain Duncan Smith resignation: 145,000 sign petition against benefits cuts – live
(about 1 hour later)
4.02pm GMT
16:02
Nadia Khomami
We are closing the live blog now. The main developments from today were as follows:
Stephen Crabb has been appointed Secretary of State at the Department for Work and Pensions.
A privilege to be appointed new Work & Pensions Secretary this morning. Looking forward to working with my new team.
That’s all from me, but you can continue to leave your comments below the line. Thanks for reading.
3.30pm GMT
15:30
David Davis says Duncan Smith departure is a 'tragedy'
Conservative MP David Davis has said Duncan Smith’s departure is a “tragedy” that will weaken the government.
Davis, once a Conservative leadership contender, said the disagreements between Osborne and Duncan Smith were “long-standing” and that the pressure Duncan Smith to introduce cuts “got in the way” of reforming welfare.
“This is a big big decision for him,” he said. “It’s the end of his career doing what he wanted to do…he’s had to bring himself to do it because enough is enough.”
He said it was “clearly an unhappy outcome” for the Conservative Party, the Treasury and government, adding: “It’s not the first time – we’ve now had tax credits ... and as a result [Osborne’s] going to have to find this money somewhere else.”
David Davis tells @bbcnews the departure of Iain Duncan Smith is "a tragedy" that will weaken the government.
Davis: "It's the end of his career doing what he wanted to do … he's had to bring himself to do it because enough is enough."
3.25pm GMT
15:25
An online petition calling on Stephen Crabbs to resign as patron of Mencap Pembrokeshire has been signed by more than 4000 people.
The petition is a result of Crabb’s vote to cut ESA by £30 a week.
Jim Scott, a member of the People’s Assembly Against Austerity, told Buzzfeed he believed the petition he set up had become “massively more significant” in light of Crabb’s promotion.
2.45pm GMT
2.45pm GMT
14:45
14:45
A video of Jeremy Corbyn campaigning in Dagenham earlier today shows a crowd cheering over Duncan Smith’s resignation.
A video of Jeremy Corbyn campaigning in Dagenham earlier today shows a crowd cheering over Duncan Smith’s resignation.
Jeremy Corbyn campaigning in Dagenham earlier - crowd cheers #IainDuncanSmith resignation pic.twitter.com/mA3EooItVl
Jeremy Corbyn campaigning in Dagenham earlier - crowd cheers #IainDuncanSmith resignation pic.twitter.com/mA3EooItVl
2.43pm GMT
2.43pm GMT
14:43
14:43
Below, listen to an audio clip of Conservative MP Bernard Jenkin saying disability cuts were the “last straw” for Iain Duncan Smith.
Below, listen to an audio clip of Conservative MP Bernard Jenkin saying disability cuts were the “last straw” for Iain Duncan Smith.
2.38pm GMT
2.38pm GMT
14:38
14:38
Wales Online’s David Williamson picks out four key reasons why Cameron may have picked Crabb for the work and pensions job. These are:
Wales Online’s David Williamson picks out four key reasons why Cameron may have picked Crabb for the work and pensions job. These are:
Cameron apparently said Crabb reminded him of Russell Crowe and suggested he would be a good choice for the next James Bond. Look out Idris Elba...
Cameron apparently said Crabb reminded him of Russell Crowe and suggested he would be a good choice for the next James Bond. Look out Idris Elba...
Updated
Updated
at 2.39pm GMT
at 2.39pm GMT
2.28pm GMT
2.28pm GMT
14:28
14:28
Chris Grayling says Duncan Smith resignation 'not about Europe'
Chris Grayling says Duncan Smith resignation 'not about Europe'
Commons Leader Chris Grayling has told the BBC he is “surprised”, “disappointed” and “very sorry” to see Duncan Smith resign. “He’ll be much missed in cabinet, he’s done some really good work on welfare reform over the years”, he said.
Commons Leader Chris Grayling has told the BBC he is “surprised”, “disappointed” and “very sorry” to see Duncan Smith resign. “He’ll be much missed in cabinet, he’s done some really good work on welfare reform over the years”, he said.
Asked if Duncan Smith’s resignation was really about Europe, Grayling, who is also campaigning for a Brexit, said:
Asked if Duncan Smith’s resignation was really about Europe, Grayling, who is also campaigning for a Brexit, said:
I don’t think this makes any difference at all to the referendum campaign. This is not about Europe.
I don’t think this makes any difference at all to the referendum campaign. This is not about Europe.
2.23pm GMT
2.23pm GMT
14:23
14:23
Ladbrokes’ odds on the next leader of the Conservative Party are as follows:
Ladbrokes’ odds on the next leader of the Conservative Party are as follows:
Ladbrokes: Next Tory leaderBoris 7-4Osborne 7-2May 8-1Gove 8-1Osborne replaced as Chancellor in 2016 2-1Boris leader in 2016 10-1
Ladbrokes: Next Tory leaderBoris 7-4Osborne 7-2May 8-1Gove 8-1Osborne replaced as Chancellor in 2016 2-1Boris leader in 2016 10-1
Updated
Updated
at 2.23pm GMT
at 2.23pm GMT
2.21pm GMT
2.21pm GMT
14:21
14:21
Further fallout is expected throughout the weekend as Iain Duncan Smith is scheduled to appear on the Andrew Marr show tomorrow.
Further fallout is expected throughout the weekend as Iain Duncan Smith is scheduled to appear on the Andrew Marr show tomorrow.
#Marr main guest has changed. Look forward to seeing Sir John Major in a future week. Iain Duncan Smith joins us tomorrow at 9 on BBC1.
#Marr main guest has changed. Look forward to seeing Sir John Major in a future week. Iain Duncan Smith joins us tomorrow at 9 on BBC1.
2.04pm GMT
2.04pm GMT
14:04
14:04
Green Party leader Natalie Bennett has said it is too late for Duncan Smith “to paint himself as a champion of the disabled”, adding that it is successive governments that are to blame for young people having to pay for bankers’ failures.
Green Party leader Natalie Bennett has said it is too late for Duncan Smith “to paint himself as a champion of the disabled”, adding that it is successive governments that are to blame for young people having to pay for bankers’ failures.
Iain Duncan Smith correctly observed in his resignation letter that the government’s fiscal approach is increasingly regarded as an ideological-driven dead end even in the Tory Party, but it is far too late for this former Tory leader to paint himself as a champion of the disabled when he has presided for so long over a welfare regime that has left disabled and ill people in dire poverty and desperate fear.
Iain Duncan Smith correctly observed in his resignation letter that the government’s fiscal approach is increasingly regarded as an ideological-driven dead end even in the Tory Party, but it is far too late for this former Tory leader to paint himself as a champion of the disabled when he has presided for so long over a welfare regime that has left disabled and ill people in dire poverty and desperate fear.
Iain Duncan Smith is right to identify the way in which young people have been made to pay for the greed and fraud of the bankers, but he is wrong to blame a whole generation of their elders.
Iain Duncan Smith is right to identify the way in which young people have been made to pay for the greed and fraud of the bankers, but he is wrong to blame a whole generation of their elders.
Britain’s state pension is among the lowest in Western Europe, 16% of pensioners live in poverty. The problem lies with the decisions of successive governments to allow rich individuals to accumulate a larger share of the nation’s wealth, while multinational companies have become parasites failing to pay their way with taxes or decent wages and benefitting from wholesale privatisation of public assets.
Britain’s state pension is among the lowest in Western Europe, 16% of pensioners live in poverty. The problem lies with the decisions of successive governments to allow rich individuals to accumulate a larger share of the nation’s wealth, while multinational companies have become parasites failing to pay their way with taxes or decent wages and benefitting from wholesale privatisation of public assets.
Updated
Updated
at 2.06pm GMT
at 2.06pm GMT
1.13pm GMT
1.13pm GMT
13:13
13:13
In a sign of growing public opposition to cuts to disability benefits, more than 145,000 people have signed an emergency 38 Degrees petition in the last 24 hours calling for PIP cuts to be cancelled. Adam McNicholas, media campaigns manager at 38 Degrees, said prolonging uncertainty over cuts was “cruel and unjust”.
In a sign of growing public opposition to cuts to disability benefits, more than 145,000 people have signed an emergency 38 Degrees petition in the last 24 hours calling for PIP cuts to be cancelled. Adam McNicholas, media campaigns manager at 38 Degrees, said prolonging uncertainty over cuts was “cruel and unjust”.
The political circus surrounding the resignation of Iain Duncan Smith should not overshadow the reality facing people who rely on this critical safety net.
The political circus surrounding the resignation of Iain Duncan Smith should not overshadow the reality facing people who rely on this critical safety net.
This policy hasn’t yet been killed off - so the ongoing uncertainty for people who need Personal Independence Payment goes on.
This policy hasn’t yet been killed off - so the ongoing uncertainty for people who need Personal Independence Payment goes on.
The British people have called for compassion - they’ve said it’s not good enough for the government to make excuses and kick this issue into the long grass. Prolonging the uncertainty is cruel and unjust. It’s time to bin this policy and this should be the first decision of the incoming secretary of state.
The British people have called for compassion - they’ve said it’s not good enough for the government to make excuses and kick this issue into the long grass. Prolonging the uncertainty is cruel and unjust. It’s time to bin this policy and this should be the first decision of the incoming secretary of state.
This petition shows the huge outpouring of public opposition to these cuts in support for people living with disabilities.
This petition shows the huge outpouring of public opposition to these cuts in support for people living with disabilities.
1.03pm GMT
1.03pm GMT
13:03
13:03
There appears to be some speculation as to whether Duncan Smith has found the inspiration to pen another novel. Thoughts for titles?
There appears to be some speculation as to whether Duncan Smith has found the inspiration to pen another novel. Thoughts for titles?
Out of #DWP pushing 'indefensible' policies, #IDS may write a new novel. Reviewers hope not: https://t.co/pVeLo67SUX pic.twitter.com/YqK92KgC9T
Out of #DWP pushing 'indefensible' policies, #IDS may write a new novel. Reviewers hope not: https://t.co/pVeLo67SUX pic.twitter.com/YqK92KgC9T
Updated
Updated
at 1.04pm GMT
at 1.04pm GMT
12.54pm GMT
12:54
Here is a brief breakdown of the life and career of Stephen Crabb who, according to reports, had as recently as last year discussed with friends the possibility of running for prime minister at the 2020 general election:
Crabb, 43, was born in Scotland but raised in a council house in Pembrokeshire, where his mother brought him up after she left his violent father. He went to state schools in Wales and Scotland before studying at Bristol University and London Business School.
Crabb was a youth worker and marketing consultant, working in communications and policy roles at the London Chamber of Commerce and the National Council for Voluntary Youth Services.
He was elected in his home constituency of Preseli Pembrokeshire in 2005. As a backbencher, he served on the Welsh Affairs, International Development and Treasury Select committees and, after the 2010 election, became a whip before being appointed a junior Wales minister in 2012.
Two years later he was promoted to secretary of state for Wales and in 2015 led the Tories’ Welsh campaign, securing its best result for more than 30 years.
With a strong interest in international development, for two years he led Project Umubano, the Conservative Party’s social action project in Rwanda and Sierra Leone.
The Press Association reports that outside of work, the married father-of-two is a big rugby fan and vice captain of the Commons and Lords RFC team.
He is also a practising Christian and the patron of a Welsh disability group, Pembrokeshire Mencap. He has run the London marathon three times and enjoys mountain biking, tennis and playing the guitar.
Crabb’s voting history can be viewed here. Huffington Post’s Paul Waugh has this to add:
My gift for frantic profile writers: Stephen Crabb loves his punk rock. Ramones, Pistols, SLF, Clash, u name it pic.twitter.com/WxvUra8ZM5
Updated
at 12.58pm GMT
12.40pm GMT
12:40
Corbyn says 'the problem is the chancellor of the exchequer'
Nadia Khomami
Jeremy Corbyn was on Sky News earlier, where he said Iain Duncan Smith has “done the right thing” by resigning but that it was a wonder “where his conscience has been hiding for the past six years.” The Labour leader also said the real problem was George Osborne, whose resignation he has called for since last night.
I think [Duncan Smith] has done the right thing to resign, because after all this is a man who has presided over some fairly appalling policies but this latest example of cutting the Personal Independence Payments (PIPs) of a very large number of people ... is shocking.
He has resigned but I really think the problem is the chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne.
Corbyn described the cuts to disability payments as “shameful” and vowed to raise the issue in parliament next week.
We have got to defend the principle of Personal Independence Payments at at least the current level and not enable them to take it away from a large number of people...
The first thing Stephen Crabb has got to do is guarantee a complete reinstatement of PIPs and reinstatement of the independent living fund, and an examination of the appalling way in which people with disabilities go through this availability-for-work tests.
12.27pm GMT
12:27
Andrew Sparrow
The Labour MP Diane Abbott has posted a tweet suggesting that Iain Duncan Smith’s resignation is a Labour “scalp”.
Ian Duncan Smith. First big scalp of the Corbyn era #corbyn4pm pic.twitter.com/pOnPROlvW9
The journalist Paul Mason is making much the same claim in this article, retweeted by the JeremyCorbyn4PM account.
This is @jeremycorbyn victory. Must read article by @paulmasonnews https://t.co/OHvv8JpQSN pic.twitter.com/7L1H3YA5Tu
In truth, just because Labour has been attacking the Personal Independence Payments cuts, that does not mean the party triggered Duncan Smith’s resignation. Tory backbenchers were opposing them too and, in Conservative party circles, their voices were more influential. On this, Duncan Smith and George Osborne were more worried about Andrew Percy than Jeremy Corbyn.
I’m now handing back to my colleague Nadia Khomami who is taking over the blog again.
Updated
at 12.29pm GMT
12.16pm GMT
12:16
There has been quite a bit of comment this morning about how Stephen Crabb now merits serious consideration as a potential next Conservative leader. Here are some tweets on this.
From Sky’s Sophy Ridge
Numerous Tory backbenchers have told me Stephen Crabbe could be a serious leadership candidate. Now he's Work & Pension Sec that cd happen
From the former Conservative minister Steve Norris
Just one of the reasons Labour will find @scrabbmp difficult to handle. https://t.co/JjM1jpXd0T
Norris is commenting on this tweet from PoliticsHome’s Kevin Schofield.
Labour will have to ditch the posh Tory boys stuff if Stephen Crabb ever becomes leader. pic.twitter.com/orr6Ranqsp
From ConservativeHome’s Paul Goodman
+ @scrabbmp. A Remainer. A social justice Tory. And now, as he replaces IDS, a possible leadership contender https://t.co/QQS52nVF6H
From the Independent’s Amol Rajan
Stephen Crabb appointed Work&Pensions Secretary to replace IDS - barely 2 days after Bruce Anderson tipped him to be future Tory leader
From the academic Glen O’Hara
I've tipped #Crabb as poss next PM for ages. Replacing #IDS shd make his odds much shorter. Still not v likely, but quite possible.
12.04pm GMT
12:04
The Intergenerational Foundation, which campaigns on the issue of intergenerational fairness, has welcomed Iain Duncan Smith’s recognition in his resignation letter that wealthy pensioners are getting unduly favourable treatment from the government. This is from the IF’s co-founder Angus Hanton.
IF welcomes the explicit admission by the senior welfare minister that government policy has been unfair on younger generations. This drives a stake into the heart of the chancellor’s claim that this week’s budget was a “budget for the next generation”.
The OBR forecasts that the triple lock will cause pension spending to overtake all other welfare spending combined, while benefits to younger people are being slashed. We have created a “packhorse generation” of young people who are struggling under the burdens of £9,000-a-year tuition fees, sky-high housing costs and paying for the pensions and benefits of the older generation.
IDS championed the triple lock on pensions and supported universal benefits for older people - and even the pre-election granny bonds - but he has now realised the consequences for younger people of these intergenerationally regressive policies. Resigning is an understandable response to this realisation.
11.56am GMT
11:56
McDonnell calls for 'urgent rethinking of Osborne's failing economic policy'
John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, has put out a statement calling for a rethink of George Osborne’s entire economic strategy. He said:
Iain Duncan Smith’s resignation must now provoke an urgent rethinking of George Osborne’s failing economic policy.
The cuts that George Osborne is inflicting on some of the most vulnerable in our society are not only cruel but unnecessary. As the former secretary of state alluded to in his resignation letter, these cuts are a needless attempt by this chancellor to meet his own nonsensical fiscal rules.
To take up to £150 a week from disabled people is a chilling example of the lengths George Osborne is willing to go to in placing his own political career and fiscal rules ahead of the long term good of our nation.
Labour have offered to work with the government to revise their failed approach and instead ensure we have a fiscal policy that is fair, sustainable and shares the wealth more equally within our society.
Labour’s fiscal credibility rule, developed in consultation with world leading economists offers a framework through which we can eliminate the deficit fairly, avoiding the counter-productive, needless and cruel cuts we have seen under this government.
11.54am GMT
11:54
According to the Daily Mail’s Isabel Oakeshott, it was a story on the Press Association wires last night that persuaded Iain Duncan Smith to resign.
The moment IDS decided to quit was when he saw a Press Association report around 7.30pm last nite , based on hostile Treasury briefing
This seems to be a reference to this story, which was on the PA wire at 8.05pm last night.
George Osborne has signalled an embarrassing retreat over cuts to disabled benefits in the face of a major revolt by Tory MPs.
The chancellor responded to another wave of criticism over plans to curb Personal Independence Payments (PIP) by insisting the government would consult charities “to make sure we get this right”.
A government source later indicated that ministers wanted to kick the changes - initially announced by Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith - into the “long grass”.
“This is going to be kicked into the long grass. We need to take time and get reforms right, and that will mean looking again at these proposals,” the source said.
“It is not an integral part of the budget - it is a DWP package that came out beforehand.”
The source said the government was not “wedded” to figures in the budget that suggested the shake-up of assessment criteria would shave around 1.3 billion a year off the PIP bill.
“We are not wedded to specific sums - it is about making sure that what will be an increasing amount of money goes to those who need it most,” they added.
The Conservative MP Stephen McPartland has written a blistering blog saying that the Department for Work and Pensions will be well rid of Iain Duncan Smith.
Here’s an excerpt.
I was furious over tax credits and successfully fought to have it reversed. This was followed by the abolishment of ESA WRAG for new claimants in 2017, which I also voted against and fought. Then the PIP announcements were just shocking, but not simply for financial reasons, as spending is actually going up year on year in real terms. They were shocking because once again we were being asked to support a policy without any idea of what the reforms would be. What would be the additional support offered to disabled people. These reforms are contained in a Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) White Paper, which we have been unable to access. To pressure the DWP, I was going to publish my own green paper - a prequel if you like, alongside concerned colleagues.
The failure of the Back to Work programme for those on ESA WRAG, only 1 in 100 were able to get a job, was our failure not the failure of the disabled jobseekers on it. The changes announced to PIP are because we failed again. It is the proud duty of the Conservative party to help those who fall on hard times and protect the most vulnerable in society. I am sorry, but I will not be shedding any tears for the evangelical, aggressive and routinely failing welfare reforms that were the personal fiefdom of the Secretary of State for DWP.
I don’t always see eye to eye with the Treasury, but it is disingenuous to blame them, when the problem was always in my experience at the very heart of the DWP.
11.27am GMT
11:27
Five things we've learnt from the appointment of Stephen Crabb as work and pensions secretary
Stephen Crabb has today moved from what is virtually the least powerful department in government, the Wales Office, to one where he will be in charge of almost one third of government spending (the Department for Work and Pensions). It is a very significant appointment, but it involves someone who is largely unknown outside Westminster.
What does it tell us? Here are five things.
1 - Cameron is keen to reassert his credentials as a One Nation prime minister committed to compassionate Conservative. In political terms, what is particularly damaging about Iain Duncan Smith’s resignation is that it undermines Cameron’s claim to lead a government where “we’re all in it together”. In his resignation letter Duncan Smith complained about benefits for the disabled being cut while the rich are getting a tax cut. He is also concerned about the elderly being protected, while the young are being penalised. Cameron knows that these distributional concerns have much greater force if people think the government is run by privileged Etonians like himself. Crabb is an antidote to this because he was brought up in a council home by a single mum who had to flee a violent partner. He described his upbringing in this interview with the Mail on Sunday. Here’s an excerpt.
He was bullied at school because his mother couldn’t afford a uniform. And he played truant to go potato-picking to raise the cash to buy a pair of trainers. ‘One of my earliest memories is of getting between my mother and father as he came at her with a knife – terrifying,’ says Crabb, talking to me in his Westminster office.
‘There were other incidents when the police came around. My mother was basically living inside a prison suffering massive physical and emotional abuse. She literally scooped us up in her arms, we got on a train and went to Scotland.’
Interestingly, Crabb is close to Ruth Davidson, the popular, gay Conservative leader in Scotland who is another leading figure in the “Tories aren’t all have toffs and can be normal human beings” movement. She describes him as a “political soulmate”.
2 - Cameron wants welfare reform to continue - but more tactfully. Crabb is committed to the welfare-to-work agenda but, because of his personal background, he can make the case for it with much more credibility than many of his Tory colleagues. He spoke about this in a recent interview with the Spectator.
Like David Davis, who was also brought up by a single mother on a council estate, Crabb thought his way into the Conservative party. His mum left his violent father when he was just eight years old, and had to start from scratch. ‘The most powerful thing to me, looking back, is the way that my mother went through a crisis in her life and became welfare dependent,’ he says. Her recovery was gradual. ‘She started working just a few hours each week, increasing her hours and then moving to a position where with extra training she was able to move into full-time work, become a car owner, and reach full economic independence.’ This is, he says, ‘absolutely the model of how the welfare system should work’
3- Cameron does not want to inflame factionalism in the cabinet. Last night there was speculation that the Cabinet Office minister Matthew Hancock, a protege of George Osborne would get the job. That would have angered those Tories who think a) that Osborne’s allies get too many good jobs anyway and b) that Osborne is largely to blame for this mess himself. Crabb is not seen as part of the Osborne circle, and it is hard to imagine anyone in the party objecting to his promotion
4 - Pro-Europeans are being promoted. Crabb has been positive about making the case for Britain staying in the EU. That will not have been the main reason for his promotion, but it may have been a factor. Certainly, Cameron has not tried to maintain the Remain/Leave balance in his cabinet by replacing Duncan Smith with a fellow Brexiter.
And finally ...
5 - Beards are making a comeback. Under Margaret Thatcher possessing facial hair was said to be virtually a career-ending move for a Conservative minister. Now Crabb will become the most senior Conservative minister with a beard since - well, for quite a long time. Perhaps it’s the Jeremy Corbyn effect ...
Updated
at 11.33am GMT
11.19am GMT
11:19
Here’s some reaction to the appointment of Crabb. The Scottish Conservative party leader, Ruth Davidson, is a friend and ally:
Delighted for @scrabbmp - DWP is a big job, but Stephen understands welfare reform from the inside. Watch the change in tone.
The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, is not:
The Prime Minister has replaced 'the quiet man' with a yes man. Instead he should replace the policy not just the salesman. #IDSresignation
And there has been some excitable speculation this morning about Crabb’s prospects:
Stephen Crabb and Owen Smith (his shadow): both Welsh, both potential future leaders.
