Alphabet-owned robotaxi company Waymo is limiting service due to Saturday’s scheduled nationwide “No Kings” protests against President Donald Trump and his policies.
A Waymo spokesperson confirmed the changes to Wired on Friday. Service is reportedly affected in San Francisco, Austin, Atlanta, and Phoenix, and is entirely suspended in Los Angeles. It’s not clear how long the limited service will last.
While it’s not entirely clear why protestors targeted the vehicles, they may be seen as a surveillance tool, as police departments have requested robotaxi footage for their investigations in the past. (Waymo says it challenges requests that it sees as overly broad or lacking a legal basis.)
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the city’s fire chief told officials Wednesday that “in a period of civil unrest, we will not try to extinguish those fires unless they are up against a building.”
It’s Monday, and another week of NWSL action is in the books, which means it’s time for ESPN’s Power Rankings.
Who’s climbing the table? Who’s in free fall? Our writers studied the action from across Matchday 12 to come up with this week’s order of all 14 teams in the league. Let’s dive in.
Previous ranking: 1 Next match: Friday, June 20 vs. Angel City, 8 p.m. ET
When the Kansas City Current are firing on all cylinders, there’s no stopping them. Just ask Racing Louisville, who watched as three goals hit the back of their net inside the first 19 minutes at CPKC Stadium on Saturday. Between their rapid counter-attacking play — good luck dealing with Temwa Chawinga and Michelle Cooper on the break — and their incisive possession approach, even a second-half flurry from the visitors couldn’t rob Kansas City of all three points in a 4-2 victory.
Previous ranking: 3 Next match: Sunday, June 22 vs. Washington Spirit, 10 p.m. ET
One of the hottest teams in the league, San Diego collected their sixth win in their last eight games in a 3-2 victory over the Houston Dash on Friday. Playing away from home, the Wave got out to a 2-0 lead in the first half in no small part due to their interchanging attackers and surging runs from goal-scorer Kenza Dali out of midfield. Though they were outscored in the second half and conceded a sloppy goal to Yazmeen Ryan, Jonas Eidevall’s team continues to impress.
Previous ranking: 4 Next match: Friday, June 20 vs. Racing Louisville, 8 p.m. ET
If you look up “smash and grab” in the dictionary, it’ll show you a picture of the Orlando Pride after their 1-0 win over Bay FC. Alright, fine. It won’t. But it should. Despite allowing 20 shots and 1.7 xG on Friday, as per FBref, Orlando still managed a narrow victory thanks to none other than Barbra Banda. After a quick free kick on the left side of midfield, Banda surged into space, worked her way into the box, and capitalized on a deflection to score the game’s only goal. The Pride have a few defensive frailties to address, but they’ll take the three points.
Previous ranking: 2 Next match: Sunday, June 22 vs. San Diego Wave, 10 p.m. ET
Playing without head coach Jonatan Giráldez (not because of his upcoming move to France but because he and his partner were expecting their second child), the Spirit fell 2-0 to the Portland Thorns to close out the NWSL’s weekend slate. Washington’s narrow midfield helped them hold the majority of possession in Portland. But a sloppy turnover put them in a first-half hole and an inability to capitalize on any of their 13 shots kept them from digging their way out.
play
1:59
Portland Thorns FC vs. Washington Spirit – Game Highlights
Watch the Game Highlights from Portland Thorns FC vs. Washington Spirit, 06/16/2025
Previous ranking: 5 Next match: Saturday, June 21 vs. Bay FC, 7.30 p.m. ET
Though they won the CONCACAF W Champions Cup last month, Gotham FC collected their first league win since April in a 3-0 victory over the Utah Royals on Friday. With a penalty kick goal from Esther Gonzalez and a pair of red cards, one to Jess Carter and one to Jaelin Howell, Gotham’s route to three points was far from uneventful. Still, the visitors largely controlled the game and Rose Lavelle made her second appearance of the year. Not bad for a road trip.
Previous ranking: 7 Next match: Saturday, June 21 vs. Chicago Stars, 10 p.m. ET
In the NWSL, there are few better ways to bounce back from a disappointing loss than by besting the Washington Spirit. Even with the Spirit in a state of managerial transition, the Portland Thorns’ 2-0 win was an impressive one over a team that hadn’t lost since the beginning of May. Between some timely high pressing and lethal transition attacking, Portland ended Sunday’s match worthy of earning all three points.
Previous ranking: 6 Next match: Saturday, June 21 vs. Utah Royals, 5 p.m. ET
Even playing on the road, it’s a challenge not to look at a draw with the Chicago Stars as two points dropped. Due to a poor start that featured their transition defense getting torn apart on two separate occasions inside the first 15 minutes on Saturday, it took everything in the Reign to claw back for a 2-2 draw. Yes, getting those two goals back not long before the final whistle helped salvage the outing, but consistency still lacks for Laura Harvey’s team.
Previous ranking: 8 Next match: Friday, June 20 vs. Orlando Pride, 8 p.m. ET
At their best, Racing Louisville have been a compact, effective defensive team that makes life absolutely miserable for anyone and everyone on their schedule. It’s that hard-nosed style that’s held them above the playoff line so far this season. But on Saturday in Kansas City, that collective defensive work was absent. Louisville was sluggish in transition, gappy in possession, and never in the game in a 4-2 loss to the Current.
Previous ranking: 9 Next match: Saturday, June 21 vs. Gotham FC, 7.30 p.m. ET
It’s difficult to see positives in a loss, but if there was ever a moment to do so for Bay FC, it’s after their narrow defeat to the Orlando Pride on Friday. While a deflected shot from Banda earned Orlando a 1-0 lead, Bay outplayed the Pride for most of the match. The home side used the ball well in possession and on set pieces, managing 20 shots compared to just seven for their opponents. So much was working for Bay FC — aside from the final touch.
Previous ranking: 11 Next match: Saturday, June 21 vs. Houston Dash, 7.30 p.m. ET
Saturday’s 2-1 win over Angel City was nervy, featuring a near-last minute winner in second-half stoppage-time from Brianna Pinto. But it was a well-earned three points for North Carolina, who outshot their hosts 24 to 13, even with Jaedyn Shaw and Ashley Sanchez both beginning the game on the bench. Playing out of Sean Nahas’ back-three setup, the Courage managed their third-highest xG total of the year and inched closer to the playoff line.
play
1:58
Angel City FC vs. North Carolina Courage – Game Highlights
Watch the Game Highlights from Angel City FC vs. North Carolina Courage, 06/15/2025
Previous ranking: 10 Next match: Friday, June 20 vs. Kansas City Current, 8 p.m. ET
The second youngest team in the NWSL based on FBref’s average age weighted by minutes played metric, there were always going to be growing pains for Angel City in 2025. Those growing pains played out in real time in a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to the North Carolina Courage on Saturday, a game where the hosts allowed the opener in the first minute and the game-winner deep in second half stoppage time. Both Thompson sisters were bright, but there wasn’t enough in the attack to overcome Angel City’s sloppy defending inside their own box.
Previous ranking: 12 Next match: Saturday, June 21 vs. NC Courage, 7.30 p.m. ET
Despite a surge in the second half where they outscored the Wave, the Houston Dash fell 3-2 to San Diego on Friday. Generating quality attacking chances in open play continues to be a struggle for Houston, who managed just two passes into the attacking penalty box on the evening, according to FBref. Yazmeen Ryan and Barbara Olivieri, who each scored against San Diego, provide a useful level of incision — but the two need help.
Previous ranking: 14 Next match: Saturday, June 21 vs. Portland Thorns, 10 p.m. ET
Things never seem to look up for the Chicago Stars for too long, do they? After Ludmila’s brace inside the first 13 minutes put Chicago ahead on Saturday, the Stars proceeded to ship two goals, one in the 87th minute and one in the 89th, to draw 2-2 with the Seattle Reign. The chance for a second win in 2025 was within their grasp, but it wasn’t to be.
Previous ranking: 14 Next match: Saturday, June 21 vs. Seattle Reign, 5 p.m. ET
From a sloppy penalty concession to incredibly sluggish recovery defending in their own half, Utah put in a sub-par performance against NJ/NY Gotham FC on Friday. Losing 3-0 in front of their home crowd, the Royals only managed six total shots despite trailing for all but nine minutes of the match. Friday’s disappointment was the latest reminder in a long string of such reminders that Utah have a ways to go as a club.
He did worry at the time about getting caught, he said, because the practice—which Sconce alleged is common in the cremation industry—was a crime under the state’s Health and Safety Code.
Meanwhile, the National Funeral Directors Association said in response to The Mortician that, though “the actions chronicled in this documentary are both horrifying and real,” they are not indicative of the business itself.
“It’s important to remember that the subject of this documentary is not representative of the funeral profession as a whole,” the organization said in a May 30 statement. “Every day, tens of thousands of funeral directors work around the clock to help families take the first steps toward healing following the death of a loved one. With care, compassion and integrity, they help families create meaningful funeral and memorial services that reflect their loved one’s personal values, interests and experiences.”
Sconce “stupidly justified” what he was up to, he explained in the series, thinking “nobody cares about these people anyway. Most of my cases were scatter-at-sea, no visitors, no viewing.”
As for the remains returned to loved ones, Sconce maintained that it still didn’t really matter what was in that urn. “People just got to be more in control of their emotions,” he said, “because that’s not your loved one anymore and it never has been. Love ’em when they’re here, period.”
But mixing up ashes was just the tip of the iceberg. And as the June 15 series finale suggested, he may have had even more skeletons in the close than previously known.
Five people have been killed and dozens injured as Iran launched fresh strikes across central Israel overnight, according to Israel’s national emergency service. Footage shows explosions and damage in Tel Aviv and Haifia. Officials say at least 19 people have been killed in Israel and 224 people in Iran since Friday, when the two countries began launching attacks.
Sen. Adam Schiff on Sunday called the handcuffing of fellow California Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla “atrocious” after Padilla was forcibly removed for interrupting Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s press conference in Los Angeles.
“To see him mistreated that way and tackled to the ground and shackled that way and in the midst of what we’re seeing more broadly in Los Angeles is just atrocious,” Schiff told NBC’s Kristen Welker on “Meet The Press.” “And I think all of us that work with him reacted with that kind of revulsion.”
Schiff defended Padilla, saying he had “every right” to attend Noem’s press conference and ask a question. He also pointed out that Padilla had been escorted into the room and had identified himself before the incident.
“He tried to ask the secretary a question, a secretary who clearly doesn’t want to answer questions about the lawless acts of the Department of Homeland Security that we are seeing in Los Angeles,” Schiff said. “So he had every right to do so. That’s part of his oversight responsibilities.”
“For those of us that know Alex, and you would be hard pressed to find a more beloved senator on either side of the aisle, respected by members on both sides of the aisle, you know, for his intellect, for his demeanor. This is not some rabble-rouser,” Schiff added.
Video on Thursday shows Padilla being forced to the ground and then handcuffed after interrupting Noem’s press conference, with the lawmaker identifying himself by name and title and saying he wished to ask a question.
Trump administration officials said Secret Service agents responded as trained — removing an unknown figure as he pushed his way toward the front of a press conference.
In a Thursday post on the social platform X, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said, “Senator Padilla chose disrespectful political theatre and interrupted a live press conference without identifying himself or having his Senate security pin on as he lunged toward Secretary Noem.”
Padilla showed up to the presser after days of protests sparked by immigration raids in the Los Angeles area. The Trump administration deployed the Marines and the National Guard to LA last week, arguing troops are needed to safeguard personnel and buildings amid the demonstrations. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, LA Mayor Karen Bass and other Democrats have slammed the move.
A federal appeals court panel on Thursday temporarily lifted a judge’s order ruling Trump’s deployment of the National Guard was illegal, allowing troops to continue helping with immigration raids in the city. The ruling came only hours after U.S District Judge Charles Breyer ordered Trump to return control of the troops to Newsom by Friday afternoon.
“Finally, we’ve got the ones that I find as most controversial, quantum computer plays. These stocks are insanely popular among young people, trading tens of millions of shares today. IONQ, D-Wave Quantum, Rigetti Computing, Quantum Computing, they’re incredibly popular. IONQ traded 30 million shares today, D-Wave Quantum traded 60 million shares today, Rigetti 61 million shares, Quantum Computing, 65 million shares. That is insane. Not the volume, but the fact that there’s so much demand for these stocks, yet most of the media and the financial industry pretend they don’t exist.
Jim Cramer Notes IONQ is Loved by Young Investors
A quantum computer on a countertop in an engineering laboratory with a technician at work.
IonQ (NYSE:IONQ) builds quantum computing systems and provides access to them through major cloud platforms and its own services. The company also develops quantum-safe networking solutions, specialized hardware, and offers support and consulting for quantum algorithm development.
While we acknowledge the potential of IONQ as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you’re looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.
DNA testing service 23andMe has undergone serious upheaval in recent months, creating concerns for the 15 million customers who entrusted the company with their personal biological information. After filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March, the company became the center of a bidding war that ended Friday when co-founder Anne Wojcicki said she’d successfully reacquired control through her nonprofit TTAM Research Institute for $305 million.
The bankruptcy proceedings had sent shockwaves through the genetic testing industry and among privacy advocates, with security experts and lawmakers urging customers to take immediate action to safeguard their data. The company’s interim CEO revealed this week that 1.9 million people, around 15% of 23andMe’s customer base, have already requested their genetic data be deleted from the company’s servers.
The situation became even more complex last week after more than two dozen states filed lawsuits challenging the sale of customers’ private data, arguing that 23andMe must obtain explicit consent before transferring or selling personal information to any new entity.
While the company’s policies mean you cannot delete all traces of your genetic data — particularly information that may have already been shared with research partners or stored in backup systems — if you’re one of the 15 million people who shared their DNA with 23andMe, there are still meaningful steps you can take to protect yourself and minimize your exposure.
How to delete your 23andMe data
To delete your data from 23andMe, you need to log in to your account and then follow these steps:
Navigate to the Settings section of your profile.
Scroll down to the selection labeled 23andMe Data.
Click the View option and scroll to the Delete Data section.
Select the Permanently Delete Data button.
You will then receive an email from 23andMe with a link that will allow you to confirm your deletion request.
You can choose to download a copy of your data before deleting it.
There is an important caveat, as 23andMe’s privacy policy states that the company and its labs “will retain your Genetic Information, date of birth, and sex as required for compliance with applicable legal obligations.”
The policy continues: “23andMe will also retain limited information related to your account and data deletion request, including but not limited to, your email address, account deletion request identifier, communications related to inquiries or complaints and legal agreements for a limited period of time as required by law, contractual obligations, and/or as necessary for the establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims and for audit and compliance purposes.”
This essentially means that 23andMe may keep some of your information for an unspecified amount of time.
How to destroy your 23andMe test sample and revoke permission for your data to be used for research
If you previously opted to have your saliva sample and DNA stored by 23andMe, you can change this setting.
To revoke your permission, go into your 23andMe account settings page and then navigate to Preferences.
In addition, if you previously agreed to 23andMe and third-party researchers using your genetic data and sample for research, you can withdraw consent from the Research and Product Consents section in your account settings.
While you can reverse that consent, there’s no way for you to delete that information.
Check in with your family members
Once you have requested the deletion of your data, it’s important to check in with your family members and encourage them to do the same because it’s not just their DNA that’s at risk of sale — it also affects people they are related to.
And while you’re at it, it’s worth checking in with your friends to ensure that all of your loved ones are taking steps to protect their data.
This story originally published on March 25 and was updated June 11 with new information.
Tim Bontemps is a senior NBA writer for ESPN.com who covers the league and what’s impacting it on and off the court, including trade deadline intel, expansion and his MVP Straw Polls. You can find Tim alongside Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon on The Hoop Collective podcast.
The NBA world has been waiting for a blockbuster trade to materialize for the past several weeks.
There were many reasons why this trade on Father’s Day morning was such a big surprise, but the biggest one was that it wasn’t a deal involving Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant.
But that was far from the only shock felt around the NBA. Here’s how league insiders are reacting to this early, fascinating deal, one that could have massive ripple effects.
Why did Orlando make this trade?
It had become one of the best trivia questions in NBA circles: Who is the last player the Magic actively acquired in a trade?
Before Sunday, the answer was former No. 1 pick Markelle Fultz, whom Orlando landed at the 2019 trade deadline in a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers for reserve forward Jonathon Simmons and a protected first-round pick (that eventually became Tyrese Maxey).
But after years of inactivity, Orlando emphatically pushed in its chips, clearly viewing Bane as the missing player who can lift the franchise to the top of the East again. It has been 15 years since the Magic have won a playoff series. In talking with sources around the league, opinions were mixed on whether adding Bane will change that.
Some regard Bane as a perfect fit — an off guard who can defend and is a career 41% 3-point shooter. The Magic shot 31.7% from deep this season, by far the worst clip in the NBA.
“He’ll be a good fit,” one assistant coach told ESPN. “There’s not a lot of guys that you would want to grab as your third option that can do it to the level that he can do it.”
Others questioned the hefty price, both in terms of the contract (Bane is owed $163 million over the next four years) and the draft capital to acquire him.
“[The Grizzlies] did that extension before the new second apron rules kicked in and they were looking at that deal and liking it less,” one scout said. “Really good guy, good player, but [I] never thought of him as a max guy.”
Several teams inquired about Bane, sources said, but none as aggressively as Orlando.
It’s easy to see why. Bane should slot in perfectly in the backcourt alongside Jalen Suggs, one of the best defenders in the league, and adds shooting and shot creation to a roster, featuring Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, that desperately needs both.
Why did Memphis?
Grizzlies general manager Zack Kleiman was blunt six weeks ago when he addressed his team’s contending window after Memphis was swept out of the first round by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“I don’t think we can look back at this series and say, ‘Oh we’re close,'” Kleiman told reporters in Memphis during his end-of-season news conference.
“We’re not.”
By trading Bane, long part of the core in Memphis with Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr., Kleiman is acting on those words.
But more star trades are not expected. Sources told ESPN that the Grizzlies are not looking to deal either of their two remaining franchise cornerstones. The team has spent the past several months clearing salary cap space to complete a renegotiation and extension of Jackson’s contract this offseason, preventing him from hitting free agency in 2026. The belief is that an extension will get done, sources said. But the Bane trade gives Memphis an avenue to give Jackson even more on that deal and lock him in long term.
play
1:30
What does Desmond Bane trade mean for Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr.?
Brian Windhorst questions if the Grizzlies are shifting direction with the Desmond Bane trade that could mark the start of a franchise reset.
And Memphis handing the team to coach Tuomas Iisalo — who wants to play a fast-paced system with tons of pick-and-roll and 3-point shooting — is designed to maximize what Morant can do.
The Grizzlies believe Jaylen Wells, who finished third in Rookie of the Year voting this past season as a second-round pick, can be a long-term starter on the wing, sources said. And among the haul of picks they received in the trade, the most attractive was next year’s lesser of Phoenix and Washington — a pick that’s very likely to be a lottery pick, and could easily wind up inside the top 10, or better.
Now, the Grizzlies believe they can go in a variety of directions as they look to improve and continue to try to contend in the Western Conference. But that required taking an immediate step back to hopefully take two — or more — steps forward in the future.
How does this affect the Kevin Durant trade saga?
In speaking with several sources Sunday in the wake of the Bane deal, the universal belief is that any draft packages going to Phoenix in a Durant deal likely won’t surpass the haul of draft picks coming to Memphis for Bane, who hasn’t yet made an All-Star team.
“Everyone has to throw their prior precedents and baselines out,” said one executive, who referred to not only the Bane trade but the five first-rounders the New York Knicks traded for Mikal Bridges last year as having nothing to do with how to properly value Durant.
“Those deals don’t mean Durant is worth 12 firsts now,” they said.
But what, exactly, is Durant worth? It’s the question people around the league continue to ask as the saga continues.
As ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Saturday night, Durant is willing to sign a contract extension with three teams: the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat. But sources around the league are still talking about the Minnesota Timberwolves as a potential landing spot for Durant.
What does seem clear is that the package isn’t going to be anywhere near the haul that the Brooklyn Nets received for Durant 2½ years ago, a deal consummated within the first 24 hours owner Mat Ishbia took control of the Suns. How Ishbia will react to that will be telling, and could determine how this process plays out.
Orlando sees an opportunity in a new conference hierarchy. How does this deal affect the rest of the East?
This trade is just the latest ripple from the devastating Achilles tendon tear sustained by Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks.
There is every reason to hope and believe Tatum will return to full strength after the injury. The doctor who performed the surgery — Martin O’Malley from New York’s renowned Hospital for Special Surgery — also repaired Durant’s Achilles tear in 2019. But, in the short term, it all but certainly has removed Boston as the dominant force in the East for the 2025-26 season, after being in that position for most of the past several years.
That has created an opening for teams to strike — and Orlando was the first one.
“For them, they got to give themselves a chance,” one executive said. “They have gone to the playoffs two years in a row and had a first-round exit, and they look around and they’ve got a young group that’s trying to figure out how to take the next step.
“In theory, in the middle of the year you would have thought Indiana was in their group, too, in that you wouldn’t have thought they could get over the top and the two best teams were clearly Cleveland and Boston.
“But with Boston not being there next year, it’s going to be fascinating to see how much of a win-now approach is going to take place because every team is going to think they can do what Indiana just did.”
This move could cause more teams to expedite their plans this summer. We already saw the Knicks fire Tom Thibodeau after losing in the conference finals. The Celtics have plenty of uncertainty about their roster. The Pistons, after an encouraging playoff breakthrough, could create cap space to pursue an impact player.
“It’s become way more open-ended, and owners are going to see it that way,” the executive said. “But the Magic could still lose in the first round. So can the Knicks. So can all of these teams.”
Why the draft could be the most important day of the offseason
One of the four picks coming to Memphis in the Bane trade was No. 16 in this month’s NBA draft. With a Durant trade likely to happen before this year’s draft, sources said, expect some 2025 draft capital to be included.
In a summer in which there is basically no cap space for teams — the rebuilding Brooklyn Nets, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks, are the only one projected to have meaningful space with which to work. With a limited free agent class on top of it, several sources said the busiest day of the offseason is going to be June 25, the first round of the draft.
It’s the one date on the calendar when all of these teams have the ability to maneuver their rosters and improve — and possibly for the only time, given the constraints on the market in the weeks afterward. Between teams trying to shed money or just reshuffle their rosters after an eventful few months around the league, there’s no shortage of teams searching for a splash. “It just feels like there is going to be more activity than even normally is,” an executive said.
Coupled with a draft featuring two clear prospects at the top — Cooper Flagg at No. 1 and Dylan Harper at No. 2 — and a deep pool of strong prospects, it should make for a wildly entertaining night inside Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.
Janelle Brown Questioned How Kody Brown Handled the Family Money
Griping about the family’s inability to pay off Coyote Pass, Janelle said Kody claimed to have “all these other debts.” And, yet, she’s watched him snap up other assets like trailers and home décor. “I see all the art on their walls,” she said of Robyn and Kody’s home. “I see all these things. And that’s fine, I have money and I’ve spent it on things, too.” (For his part Kody said much of his cash went to buying cars—”Basically had a fleet”—and insurance for the kids.)
And while Janelle acknowledged she wasn’t sure how Kody and Robyn handled their finances, “I used to always be surprised at how nice her backyard was. It was completely finished. And there was always, like, stuff at her house. And I was like, ‘Wow. Huh.'”
Bottom line, she said, “He doesn’t prioritize what I need or what I want.” And that issue eventually wore her down. “I think after a while, I began to see it, and my kids were getting very angry about it, like my adult children. Like, ‘What the hell, Mom?'”
Robyn’s take, however, was that she was very careful with her budget after her first marriage fell apart.
“I used to be not so great with money,” she shared during the Sept. 22 episode. “When I was young, I had hard knocks, and then I learned during my divorce really how to budget myself very, very well.” As for her fellow sister wives, she said, “You just must have had a different priority of where your money was going to go than I did, that’s all.”
Sir Keir Starmer has hit back at potential rebels in the Labour Party over his plans to cut the benefits bill, insisting “we have got to get the reforms through.”
MPs will vote in the coming weeks on a package of measures aiming to cut the benefits bill by £5bn by 2030.
The Welfare Reform Bill will include proposals to make it harder for disabled people with less severe conditions to claim Personal Independence Payment, or PIP, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Speaking to reporters, the prime minister said: “We have got to get the reforms through, and I have been clear about that from start to finish.
“The system is not working. It’s not working for those that need support, it’s not working for taxpayers.
“Everybody agrees it needs reform, we have got to reform it and that is what we intend to do.”
Dozens of Labour MPs have expressed concerns about the plans to cut Pip payments and the sickness-related element of Universal Credit.
Many have said they are prepared to vote against the primary legislation the government needs to pass to make the changes to welfare payments.
The welfare package as a whole could push an extra 250,000 people, including 50,000 children, into relative poverty, according to the government’s impact assessment.
Asked if there could be further concessions, Sir Keir said he was determined to press ahead with the changes:
“The principles remain the same, those who can work should work.
“Those who need support in to work should have that support in to work which I don’t think they are getting at the moment.
“Those who are never going to be able to work should be properly supported and protected. And that includes not being reassessed and reassessed.
“So they are the principles, we need to do reform and we will be getting on with that reform when the Bill comes.”