Keir Starmer climbs down on welfare cuts
At last, Keir Starmer has bowed to the inevitable. Having first adopted a posture of defiance, then conciliation, the Prime Minister has tonight admitted capitulation on the great welfare revolt. The Guardian reports that the ringleaders of the 126 rebels who signed a wrecking amendment to the Welfare Bill are now claiming 'massive concessions.' It follows a tense afternoon of talks between Starmer and his MPs.
It means another big U-turn for Starmer – and another hole in the Treasury's finances
The rebels say that they have been promised significant changes to planned cuts. These include moderating the Bill to make it easier for people with multiple impairments to claim disability benefits. Starmer also offered to protect Personal Independent Payments (PIP) for all existing claimants forever. This was to ensure there would be no detriment from the reforms for existing claimants – a key concern of the welfare rebels. But new claimants will be affected, as ministers desperately try to stop ever-spiralling disability and sickness welfare spending climb to £100 billion by 2030.
It means another big U-turn for Starmer – and another hole in the Treasury's finances. Early estimates suggest that the Welfare Bill climb down could cost £2 billion: money which Rachel Reeves will now have to find elsewhere. Coming so soon after the winter fuel reversal, the whole debacle will raise further questions about the political judgment of those in Numbers 10 and 11 Downing Street. A U-turn looked inevitable from the moment that the initial list of 108 names on the amendment was published on Monday night. So why did Starmer persist with the plans for a further three days and completely overshadow his big Nato 5 per cent commitment?
No government has been defeated on the Second Reading of its own legislation since 1986. Tonight's climbdown means that Starmer looks to have avoided that fate next Tuesday. But the damage from such a public humiliation is obvious. Rebellion is a habit; the concessions show that it can be a fruitful one too. As for the Treasury, now forced to plug the gap in its finances, the lesson by now ought to be obvious: Labour MPs will not wear major welfare cuts unless they are handled with the upmost care.
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Times
an hour ago
- Times
Why is Morgan McSweeney now a lightning rod for Labour rebels?
Morgan McSweeney's allies are fiercely loyal. This week the prime minister's chief of staff has been the subject of a series of vitriolic attacks from Labour MPs who are blaming him for the debacle surrounding the government's welfare reforms. Ministers have accused him of presiding over a 'bunker mentality' in No 10 and some rebels have called for him to be removed from office as part of a 'regime change'. The time has come, they argue, for the 'overexcitable boys' to move on. In the wake of the attacks, one government adviser shared a post on social media suggesting that removing McSweeney could spell the end of Sir Keir Starmer's premiership. The post said: 'After losing him it will be nothing but legislating on MP pet projects, the civil service running the country … while Starmer is left running around chasing media stories until the [parliamentary Labour Party (PLP)] panics after the 2028 local elections and replaces him.' McSweeney's influence cannot be overstated. The Irishman played a key role in transforming Starmer from a bastion of the soft left — a former human rights lawyer who backed a second referendum and was an arch-defender of free movement — into the man who took on Jeremy Corbyn and overhauled the Labour Party. • Profile: Who is Morgan McSweeney? With McSweeney at his side, Starmer moved firmly to the centre ground, helping Labour to a landslide victory in the election in the process. The Starmer of today has put defence and security and a strong dose of patriotism at the heart of his premiership, while also promulgating fiscal responsibility at every turn and taking a hardline stance on immigration. Given Starmer's transformation, it is perhaps not surprising that McSweeney has become a lightning rod for criticism over the government's welfare reforms. Labour rebels see the cuts as part of a broader plan to shift the party to the right and appeal to Reform UK voters who want a tougher line on benefits. • Starmer is dangerously vulnerable over welfare reforms The cuts, they argue, are being driven by a combination of an 'arbitrary' approach to balancing the books and political opportunism. They are highly critical of the handling of the policy in No 10. MPs say that a rebellion that was eminently avoidable has blown up into a full-blown crisis for Starmer because Downing Street stopped listening. For some rebels it is deeply personal. 'I wouldn't be f***ing backing down now anyway, not after the 'noises off' comments [from Starmer at a press conference this week] and the briefing that they had 'cleared the self-indulgent rubbish out',' one said. 'Who the eff do they think they are? It's just desperation and it's sickening. Do you remember when Dominic Cummings went to Barnard Castle and the story became about him? When the story becomes about you, it's time to go, so when is Morgan going to go?' A senior government source said: 'There clearly needs to be a complete reset in how we approach the party. No 10 did not listen and did not engage until it was far too late and now they're in a hole of their own making.' Where once McSweeney, the mastermind of Labour's landslide, was untouchable, today the briefings abound. 'There's a bit of 'emperor's new clothes' going on,' one government source said. 'When you see him up close, you see he's not what everyone thinks he is. He isn't this brilliant mastermind. He's a man of the moment who's taken advantage of it, but he has manoeuvred himself into these positions.' Others believe that McSweeney is being used as a proxy for wider unhappiness with Starmer; that, like so many senior No 10 advisers before him — Sue Gray, his predecessor as Starmer's chief of staff, and Cummings, Boris Johnson's senior adviser — he has become an easy target. Far from being political, they say, the move to curb the benefits bill is born of a moral and economic necessity; that with 1,000 extra people claiming disability benefits every day, the current system is broken and unsustainable. People are being denied the dignity of work — a view shared by both McSweeney and Starmer. McSweeney clearly divides opinion. Members of the 100-strong Labour Growth group were quick to defend him. 'It's very clear he gets that [the] cost of living is the crucial issue facing people and knows we've got to be on the side of people who are feeling that,' one member said. 'There was clear alignment on how ambitious we need to be in turning around the economy so we can do that.' • Call for 'regime change' as Keir Starmer aide faces welfare backlash The trouble for both Starmer and McSweeney is that the Labour Party is becoming ever more recalcitrant as the reality of the party's collapse in the polls sets in. Lord Blunkett, a former Labour home secretary, said: 'We may have a very large majority, but many backbenchers are looking at the opinion polls and wondering where they will be in three and a half years' time.' The risk, according to some, is that the Labour Party will become ungovernable. 'Keir has been completely deluged by world affairs,' said one MP close to Starmer. 'He's been told by his massive team that they have this under control when they do not. This is on them. 'No 10 has entered complete bunker mentality. Last week, they were calm. Now, they are irate. They think that if they give in now the PLP will be ungovernable. But we're past that point. Pandora's box has been opened with the backbenchers.'
Sky News
an hour ago
- Sky News
Government makes concessions to Labour rebels over welfare reforms
The government has made an offer to rebel Labour MPs over its controversial welfare reforms, Sky News understands. More than 120 Labour MPs were poised to vote against the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Bill on Tuesday. The changes come after a ring-around by cabinet ministers failed to bring rebels on side. The bill was intended to restrict eligibility for the PIP - the main disability payment in England- and limit the sickness-related element of universal credit, to help shave £5bn off the welfare budget by 2030. Sky News political editor Beth Rigby has been told that existing PIP claimants will be able to keep their payments, which means 370,000 people will not lose out. This will cost the government at least £1.5bn, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies. Sky News understands that a senior source has accepted the change, but it will be up to each individual rebel to make a decision on whether to withdraw. The source said they think the changes are a "good package" with "generous concessions". A reasoned amendment signed by 126 Labour MPs argued that disabled people had not been properly consulted and further scrutiny of the changes is needed. If passed, this would have killed the bill. Other concessions offered by the government include allowing existing claimants to keep the health element of Universal Credit. Sky News understands that some senior rebels are willing to accept the concessions - with one saying that "the concessions will be positively received, and I expect to vote with the government now". Other MPs who had not wanted to rebel were also expecting to change their votes. However, several Labour MPs on the left of the party have gone public to say they will still oppose the government, including Diane Abbott, Richard Burgon, Nadia Whittome and Brian Leishman. Conservative shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride said the change would mark a "screeching U-turn" - and claimed the changes mark "another unfunded spending commitment". What is PIP? The biggest shakeup to the system involved changes to PIP - money given to people, including some of whom are in work - who have extra care needs or mobility needs as a result of a disability. People who claim it are awarded points depending on their ability to do certain activities, such as washing and preparing food, and this influences how much they will receive. From November 2026, people would have needed to score a minimum of four points in at least one activity to qualify for the daily living element of PIP - instead of fewer points spread across a range of tasks. This would have impacted existing claimants as well as new ones. The government's concessions are understood to see this change dropped for existing claimants. The government intended to freeze the health element of universal credit, claimed by more than two million people, at £97 a week during this parliament, and cut the rate to £50 for new claimants. Again, it's understood the government's concessions mean this change now won't apply to existing claimants.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
'Keir Starmer underestimated opposition to DWP disability benefit cuts'
Just under a year ago, Keir Starmer strode into Downing Street with cheers ringing his ears, having won a landslide victory. But tonight he found that having a massive majority isn't always enough. Downing Street underestimated how strongly backbenchers opposed these cuts, despite the clear warning signs. For months I'd been hearing how unhappy MPs were, concerns echoed by Labour's trade union backers, party members and Mirror readers. Most Labour MPs accept the welfare bill is too high, and agree that people need help to get back into work. But the PM and his ministers failed to convince them that cutting Personal Independence Payments - an in-work benefit - was the way to achieve this. The Government blew a lot of political capital on its disastrous decision to cut the winter fuel allowance. And the recent U-turn gave Labour MPs hope that they could persuade the PM into another rethink. The decision will be some relief for hundreds of thousands of disabled people left terrified about what cuts to these lifeline benefits would mean. But making these concessions is a major blow to Mr Starmer's authority - particularly so early on in premiership. One of the PM's biggest problems is the disconnect between what the Government is doing - and what the voters thought they were getting. Plenty of Labour MPs feel that they didn't sign up to take disability benefits from vulnerable people. And they've been left to face angry constituents who think this wasn't what they voted for. Another problem has been Mr Starmer has been forced to dedicate so much attention to foreign affairs. Follow our Mirror Politics account on Bluesky here. And follow our Mirror Politics team here - Lizzy Buchan, Mikey Smith, Kevin Maguire, Sophie Huskisson, Dave Burke and Ashley Cowburn. Be first to get the biggest bombshells and breaking news by joining our Politics WhatsApp group here. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you want to leave our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Or sign up here to the Mirror's Politics newsletter for all the best exclusives and opinions straight to your inbox. And listen to our exciting new political podcast The Division Bell, hosted by the Mirror and the Express every Thursday. A senior figure in No10 expressed frustration to me that he had to go to both the G7 summit in Canada and the NATO gathering in the Netherlands in quick succession, when they needed him in London. After arriving back on Wednesday night, Mr Starmer spent much of today locked in talks with backbenchers to avert a damaging Commons defeat next week. Time will tell if the offer made to rebels is enough. Mr Starmer has been dealt a difficult hand, with Donald Trump causing chaos and tensions spiralling in the Middle East. But he must bear responsibility for problems at home - and pointing to the dire Tory legacy won't cut it any more.
