BBC Political Correspondent Nick Jones: "An uncomfortable day for the government"

The pledges ensure a fresh showdown on Thursday when the government's controversial bill to make changes to disability benefits returns to the Commons.

The news comes after the plug was pulled on a Commons debate on the welfare reform bill.

During the debate over 60 Labour backbenchers had been poised to vote against their own party in what would have been the biggest backbench revolt since Tony Blair became prime minister.

Alistair Darling says that dropping the changes would be letting disabled people down

But the debate was stopped around 0500 BST on Tuesday morning before the key vote could take place.

Ministers including Social Security Secretary Alistair Darling and Chancellor Gordon Brown had spent much of the night trying to persuade rebels to give in, but with, apparently, little success.

Rebel leaders Roger Berry and Lynne Jones say the fight will continue.

Mr Berry, who is also the secretary of the parliamentary disablement group, said the debate was stopped because: "The government whips realised that although they had been working very hard to persuade the 60 or 70 MPs, they were not succeeding.

Tim Jones: "The government finally pulled stumps at 4am"

"They realised there was a danger of quite a bad result," he said.

The rebels were keen to stop government plans to means-test and restrict access to Incapacity Benefit which they say could affect up to 170,000 people.

A number of charities have already resigned from the government's consultative committee on disabilities in protest at the bill.

The bill 'is right'

But Mr Darling told the BBC there would be no compromise. He said: "We are not going to table any amendments. The principles set out in this bill are right."

Alistair Darling: Insists the bill will be passed

Mr Berry said the government had done itself unnecessary damage over the bill.

He said: "The government in so many areas in relation to disabled people is doing path-breaking work - for instance, with the Disability Rights Commission.

"But all that tremendous good work falls by the wayside with a serious misjudgement on something like benefits," he said.

Former Welfare Reform minister Frank Field also warned the government against trying to "wear people down" in advance of the bill returning to the Commons, saying: "I don't think that's going to work."

'Spiteful measures'

As well as the internal rows over the bill, the government is facing charges from the Conservatives who condemned Labour's guillotine measure, which puts a time limit on Thursday's debate, as cynical.

Iain Duncan Smith: Government caved-in

Shadow social security spokesman Iain Duncan Smith said: "Leader of the House Margaret Beckett is trying to use every trick in the parliamentary book to prevent proper debate of this important subject.

"We will not let the government get away with this and we will keep up the pressure on them over their spiteful measures."

He also attacked the abandonment of Monday's debate as a "cynical move to try to gag critics on both sides of the House".

But Mrs Beckett, Downing Street and Mr Berry all condemned the Tories for deliberately trying to spin out the debate in an attempt to maximise any potential government embarrassment over the bill.