Starmer backs ‘excellent' Rachel Reeves after chancellor's tears in House of Commons
Keir Starmer
said he did not appreciate how upset
Rachel Reeves
was in the House of Commons, because he was focused on answering prime minister's questions (PMQs).
The prime minister said all people could be caught 'off guard' by their emotions, but the chancellor had to deal with it while on camera in parliament.
He said she was doing an excellent job, would remain in place beyond the next general election, and that they were both absolutely committed to the chancellor's 'fiscal rules' to maintain discipline over the public finances.
UK Government bonds rallied and the pound steadied on Thursday, after reassurances from the prime minister about the chancellor's future.
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The sight of Ms Reeves in tears on Wednesday, and the £5 billion black hole in her public spending plans as a result of the welfare U-turn, had spooked the markets, triggering a sharp sell-off of bonds, with the yield seeing the sharpest increase since US president Donald Trump's tariff plans shook up financial markets in April.
Mr Starmer told Virgin Radio he had spoken to the chancellor on Wednesday evening and she was 'fine', and her tears were as a result of a 'purely personal' matter rather than the 'ups and downs of this week'.
Ms Reeves was visibly upset as she sat beside Mr Starmer in the Commons on Wednesday, but he said: 'I actually personally didn't appreciate it was happening in the chamber, because I came in, I've got questions being fired at me in PMQs, so I'm constantly up at the despatch box and down.
'I think we just need to be clear, it's a personal matter, and I'm not going to breach Rachel's privacy by going into what's a personal matter for her.'
He said that 'in politics, you're on show the whole time, there's no hiding place'.
Ms Reeves was a 'great colleague, she's a friend of mine and I'll be working with her for a very long time to come'.
'But like all human beings, we're also personal.
'There are moments that catch us off guard and if you're in front of a camera for large periods of your life, unfortunately, that could be caught on camera in a way, if it had been anybody else at work, it would have not really been noticed.'
The sight of the Chancellor in tears on the front bench and Mr Starmer's initial lack of public support for her caused jitters about the government's borrowing plans, as Ms Reeves's commitment to her rules to control spending are a key reassuring factor for the bond markets.
Mr Starmer said: 'She is an excellent chancellor, she will be chancellor for a very long time to come, into the next election and beyond it.
'She and I are absolutely committed to our fiscal rules and the economic stability that is so important to this country, and that is the rock on which we build everything else.
'On that issue, Rachel and I are in lockstep, and have been for years.' – PA
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The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Benefits reforms would decimate my £14k handouts, without PIP my luxuries like fags & posh pet accessories would be gone
A SENSE of ease comes over me, as I read the news on the sun-trap terrace which overlooks my sprawling garden as I realise my benefits aren't going anywhere. Until Tuesday a guillotine was hanging above me, threatening to cut off my monthly PIP payments, but thanks to a retreat from Keir Starmer they're safe… for now. 5 Erica Crompton says she depends on her £295 PIP she receives a month Credit: SUPPLIED 5 She believes should be able to spend her stipend on little luxuries Reforms would have seen disabled Brits like me face stricter tests to qualify for support the changes have now been shelved entirely — with no set date for when, or if, they will happen How long my comfortable life will last remains to be seen as it seems my £14,400 income from Universal Credit and PIP are always up for grabs, no matter the party in power. I've come to see the majority of political parties as the real thugs. Whoever is in power, you can guarantee they'll have threatened - or have already implemented - major cuts to my income. Read More on Real Lives Had Labour's suggested cuts come into play I may have lost £600 of the total sum of £1200 I receive in benefits a month. It might seem like a lot but I implore you to bear in mind that minimum wages, full-time, meets £2,000 a month. So, my total benefits aren't exactly a footballer's salary or an heir's trust fund. For Universal Credit, I now get £381 housing benefit; £201 for caring over 24 hours a week and £400 for being unemployed due to my PIP is a standard, monthly payment of £295 I always get. It helps with costs associated with my illness - regardless of whether or not I'm in work. Most read in Fabulous The proposal of a points system for PIP meant I would lose it completely as I only score 2 points for a few concerns over 12 questions (in total mine was 11 points). For example: communication can be hard in groups and I often fall out with friends and family - especially on the internet, phone or Whatsapp. Disability benefit explained - what you can claim Or I might need prompting for my weekly bath, simply because I'm getting smelly. These side effects all only score 2 points, not the proposed 4 to keep PIP. This week Reeve's plans were watered down by Starmer, thanks to some more moral Labour backbenchers (with backbones?) Given the hateful responses I receive when I speak publicly about claiming benefits, I doubt I've heard the last of any of our 'disability benefits being axed.' As I casually scroll through the comments I received on social media, I get more angry faces and hateful comments than murderers, child killers and rapists. I have to disagree with all of them and believe I - we - deserve support from the state for a severe mental illness, mine is schizo-affective disorder, and for putting in 50 hours a week caring for my partner, a wheelchair user. I also believe without the cost of children, I should be able to spend my stipend on little luxuries like my 60 fags a day habit and hand-painted cat food bowls which I imported for £75 from India. I'm aware that many countries' welfare states don't exist, like India where my cat bowls hail from, so I'm still grateful for any support I do receive. What is PIP? HOUSEHOLDS suffering from a long-term illness, disability or mental health condition can get extra help through personal independence payments (PIP). The maximum you can receive from the Government benefit is £172.75 a week. PIP is for those over 16 and under the state pension age, currently 66. Crucially, you must also have a health condition or disability where you either have had difficulties with daily living or getting around - or both- for three months, and you expect these difficulties to continue for at least nine months (unless you're terminally ill with less than 12 months to live). You can also claim PIP if you're in or out of work and if you're already getting limited capability for work and work-related activity (LCWRA) payments if you claim Universal Credit. PIP is made up of two parts and whether you get one or both of these depends on how severely your condition affects you. You may get the mobility part of PIP if you need help going out or moving around. The weekly rate for this is either £26.90 or £71. While on the daily living part of PIP, the weekly rate is either £68.10 or £101.75 - and you could get both elements, so up to £172.75 in total. You can claim PIP at the same time as other benefits, except the armed forces independence payment. Make a claim by calling the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) on 0800 917 2222. 5 Erica qualifies for PIP due to her schizo-affective disorder but she would have lost it had Labour's proposed reforms come into place Credit: Supplied 5 As well as Universal Credit she receives a carers allowance for acting as her partner Paul's carer Credit: Erica Crompton It's not just trolls saying I'm a 'leech' or 'scrounger' who I face criticism from though - even doctors can't agree on what schizophrenia is and many naysayers even go as far as to say "it's only in the mind & there's nothing wrong at all" or that it's just a 'human response to traumatic life events'. But what they don't factor in is the major physical toll my mental health takes on my body. I'd like to offer these negative Nellys a day's worth of my medication and see how they get on. My boyfriend Paul was mostly in bed asleep for three days after just one dose he mistook for a paracetamol which I've taken three times a day for over two decades. This tiredness is real. Paranoia is real, it's hard to be around more than one person when you're trying to read code behind everyone's speech (a typical schizo-spectrum symptom known as 'thought broadcasting'). The poor personal hygiene is real, I might only bathe once a week. My anxiety is crippling, too, but I've learned to put on a brave face and try to remain calm and positive. Still, even a brave face doesn't erase a churning stomach. But Reeve's 'four point' system didn't take these things into account. You may well have needed to prove that you have an actual carer come in to wash your bottom twice a day to get 4 points on PIP benefits. WHAT WERE THE PROPOSED CHANGED TO PIP? DISABLED Brits would have faced stricter tests to qualify for support under the original benefits crackdown. They would have needed to score at least four points in one activity like washing, dressing, or preparing food. Currently, people can qualify by scoring eight points across multiple tasks, making it easier to access the benefit. Last week, Labour agreed to limit the crackdown to new claimants only after a backlash from MPs. But under the latest retreat, the changes have now been shelved entirely — with no set date for when, or if, they will happen. Sir Keir Starmer suffered a major rebellion this week by 49 of his own MPs tonight as his welfare reforms scraped through after another round of last-minute concessions. But after more fury from the backbenches, he shelved controversial disability benefit reforms to stave off a Labour revolt. Ministers have now scrapped plans to tighten rules for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) after furious backbenchers warned they would sink the controversial Bill. In the end, MPs voted the legislation through by a majority of 75, with 335 in favour and 260 against. Any proposed changes to Personal Independence Payments now won't kick in until after a review has taken place. The PIP benefits - the main disability welfare payment for those with a disability - is subject to a review by Welfare Minister Sir Stephen Timms. The benefit payments are in place to help those affected with daily tasks such as mobility. Payments currently start at £1,500 but rise to £9,600 which are paid out even if someone is still working. The daily living rate comes in at £73.90 for the lower rate and £110.40 for the higher rate. Figures show that the mobility rate is worth £29.20 and rises to £77.05 for the higher rate. Ministers have revealed that 1,000 people per day are claiming PIP - which is the equivalent of the size of Leicester every year. Following a major rebellion, those who are now claiming PIP be able to claim the same amount of money. But for new claimants from November 2026, there will be a set of stricter measures set out as the government aims to reduce spending on the benefits and get people back to work. Never mind reeking too much to leave the house and be in public - let alone in an office. This idea that work might make us better - which Reeves drove home and used to justify her cruel cuts - felt like gaslighting. 'We believe if you can work, you should work.' she stated. But PIP is a benefit you can also claim while working. Like me, many need their benefits - both PIP and Universal Credit - to 'top-up' part-time work wages and that allows them to manage their disability, to care for a loved one, or both. For ten years in my twenties I worked two-three jobs to make ends meet. I always ended up on the mental health crisis phoneline, with a duty nurse telling me I needed to take substantial time off or quit my job. Eventually I quit working full-time for good, and my mental health has improved markedly. I now care full-time and put in 10-16 hours of writing a week. I know first hand, poverty doesn't cure mental illness (or any disability) - it exasperates them, and only makes them worse - putting even more strain on an already underfunded NHS. Therefore any kind of cuts to disability benefits, particularly those that penalise people with mental health issues will only cost us more in the long run, both in budgets and lives. And while I appreciate that reforms may be on hold for now I dread to think what could come out in Sir Stephen Timms' PIP review at the end of 2026. But I beg Labour not to cast people like me aside. We're not scroungers and for us PIP is a lifeline. 5 Erica says that for people like her, PIP is a lifeline Credit: Erica Cartier
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
€154 Child Benefit increase cost as Minister confirms ‘no plans' to extend cash for 16k kids amid ‘targeted' boost plot
MINISTER Dara Calleary has confirmed that there are "no plans" to extend the €140 Child Benefit cash to all children aged under 18 who don't currently qualify for the monthly payment. Instead, the Government are focused on "targeted" payments for those most at risk of poverty. 2 Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary ruled out extending the Child Benefit payment to some groups Credit:2 Increasing Child Benefit by 10 per cent would bring the payment to €154 each month Credit: Getty Images - Getty Weekly Child Benefit payments to 16,000 children The Minister for Social Protection said: "There are currently no plans to extend "It is important that the Child Benefit payment reflects our policy objective of encouraging young people to Calleary was addressing People Before Profit leader READ MORE IN MONEY Child Benefit is currently paid at a rate of €140 per child monthly to over 650,000 families in respect of over 1.2 million children. Payments are The monthly payment for a first child was €131.60 in 2004 and stands at €140 now, just six per cent higher. MOST READ ON THE IRISH SUN The Child Benefit rate reached €166 during the Major warning over emergency social welfare scam texts as thousands could be targeted And He explained: "Child Benefit is currently in payment in respect of approximately 1.2 million children with an estimated expenditure of €2.2 billion for 2025. "The cost of increasing Child Benefit by 10 per cent would result in additional annual expenditure on the scheme of approximately €218 million based on the estimated number of recipients in 2025." Calleary said approximately the Child Benefit payments of approximately 16,000 children aged 16 to 18 has their payments stopped this year as there was no evidence they were in education. He added: "Extending Child Benefit to these individuals, assuming that they were all single births, would therefore cost approximately €27 million annually." To get Child Benefit, parents must be living in Ireland and meet the Habitual Residence Condition. Applicants for International Protection do not satisfy this condition and are there not eligible for Child Benefit. Calleary said that paying Child Benefit to Internal Protection Applicants residing in accommodation provided by IPAS would cost the State around €11.5m each year. The total combined cost for the measures requested could therefore be estimated at around €256.5 million each year. €285 CHILD BENEFIT BOOST Research by the State's economic think tank looked at the effect of And confirmed that the Government is considering a second-tier targeted at poorer families in a bid to combat child poverty. He said: "I have a unit within the Department that is focusing on this issue and I've already spoken to Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary on this. "Nothing is off the table. There is a wide menu of options to choose from to target resources to meaningfully impact on the child poverty situation." The €140 flat payment would still be paid to everyone, regardless of income. But a "second-tier" allowance worth an average of €285 per month would allow lower-income families to top up the existing €140-a-month benefit. NO €2.2B COST OF LIVING PACKAGE The second-tier allowance talks come as Finance Minister The The Government has instead this year leaned more towards the possible for those most at risk of poverty. The Budget 2025 package - the It included two double Budget 2025 also provided an additional October cost-of-living double payment as well as the usual social welfare Christmas bonus. But Donohoe and Public Expenditure Minister DOLE FREEZE Yesterday, Tanaiste Simon Harris claimed that people on the dole should In their general election manifesto, With businesses struggling to find workers to fill vacant positions, Tanaiste Simon Harris indicated that the Government may freeze the Asked if the Government will separate the jobseekers allowance from other welfare hikes, the Tanaiste told the Irish Sun: "Budgets are all about choices. "They are all about balance and there is only so much money in the pot so I will keep an open mind on that. 'I'm not convinced that you need to see as significant a rise in the dole as you do in the pension for example at a time when our country is in full employment and there's lots of supports out there for people getting into work and there is other supports out there for people who can't work for very many good reasons."
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Government's approach to tackling third-level fee hike likened to an ‘episode of Love Island'
The sneering jibe was made by Cavan-Monaghan TD Matt Carthy during a tetchy exchange with Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers in the Dáil yesterday. The Dublin West TD had been on his feet having just answered calls from Fine Gael Carlow-Kilkenny TD Catherine Callaghan over how her own phone had been left 'hopping' by anxious parents as to the rising costs facing students. Mr Chambers said concerns linked to how third level students could be facing into forking out a further €1,000 in registration fees were reservations Coalition leaders would consider in unison as part of ongoing Budget discussions. 'This will be considered in the context of budget 2026,' he stated. 'All of us as a collective Government - Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Independent deputies - will work on strengthening the affordability of public services as a core priority.' That admission was one which drew a scornful riposte from Mr Carthy who likened the Government's approach on the hit British reality dating show. 'It is like an episode of 'Love Island', he scoffed. Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy moved swiftly to dilute the row, sternly advising the Sinn Féin TD he did not have the right of the floor by telling him: 'It is not your question, Deputy.' The edgy nature to those exchanges follows hot on the heels of Further and Higher Education Minister James Lawless' admission at the weekend that students will have to 'play the hands we're dealt' in the absence of any cost of living packages being rolled out over the coming months. Speaking to RTÉ's This Week, Mr Lawless said fees would likely revert to the amount owed before the Government began introducing cost saving reductions three years ago. 'The indications are that there won't be a cost-of-living package this year, so all of us, in any walk of life, has to play the hands we're dealt,' he said.
