Slow learner... Kendall forgets her own history: ANDREW PIERCE
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall was mauled in the Commons over the disastrous welfare Bill, which sparked a major Labour rebellion and a humiliating 11th-hour U-turn.
But, back in 1998, Tony Blair 's government was rocked by a similar revolt when it cut benefits for single parents.
Although the controversial measure passed through Parliament, 47 Labour MPs voted against it and the plan's mastermind Harriet Harman was eventually sacked as social security secretary a few months later.
Who was Harman's political adviser at the time? Step forward a young Liz Kendall. Talk about history repeating itself.
To mark the anniversary of Sir Keir Starmer 's government, I took a look at his party's manifesto. In the first paragraph, there is a pledge to 'stop the endless Conservative chaos' of recent years. In fact, there are no fewer than 38 references to ending Tory 'chaos' in the 136-page document. That looks to me like 38 broken promises and counting.
Who is doing Rachel Reeves' make-up?
The Chancellor's overnight transformation from her blubby, puffy-eyed PMQs performance to her laughing, fresh-faced visit to east London to unveil the ten-year NHS plan was remarkable.
I gather one product known to remove eye bags with such speed is haemorrhoid cream Preparation H. Time to get a prescription?
Lord Archer's wise words
Sage advice from Lord Archer to would-be politicians: 'When young people come to see me, I say, 'For heavens' sake earn a living, get some experience, then become an MP. Don't go in until you're 40'.'
The now 85-year-old became the Tory MP for Louth in 1969 at the age of 29. 'I was thinking I was a god, I was bound to be Prime Minister,' he admits. 'I was an arrogant fool.'
Not that it worked out too badly for Lord Archer. He quit Parliament aged 34 because of financial issues – and went on to become a best-selling author.
The idea of Angela Rayner becoming PM has been backed by a most unexpected source – the 12th Duke of Beaufort. 'People are terrified of Angela Rayner taking over from Starmer, but I think she is more pragmatic than one thinks,' muses the 73-year-old duke from his 52,000-acre Badminton Estate in Gloucestershire.
Labour's Department for Business and Trade paid six 'digital influencers' to promote the Minimum and Living Wage Campaign. Their fees are 'confidential'. Sounds like the Treasury's clampdown on wasteful spending has a way to go.
Speaking in Westminster Hall last week, Rishi Sunak made the somewhat underwhelming observation: 'A lot has changed in the last nine years.' Quite. How about eight chancellors and six prime ministers?
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
32 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Now Starmer faces Labour revolt over desperate efforts to curb spiralling £11bn special needs education spending
Keir Starmer is facing another huge Labour revolt as the government struggles to get a grip on special needs funding. MPs and campaigners are gearing up for a confrontation with ministers on a new front after Keir Starmer was forced into an humiliating climbdown on welfare reforms last week. Battle lines emerged when Bridget Phillipson refused to commit to keeping Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) in an interview yesterday. Holding an EHCP gives a child the legal right to a specific package of support, including one-to-one assistance, specialist equipment and dedicated speech and language therapy. However, there has been an alarming increase in the number of children with a care plan from 240,000 a decade ago to 638,000. There were almost 98,000 new EHCPs issued in 2024, a 16 per cent rise on the previous year's figure. The most common type of need for those with a plan is autistic spectrum disorder. A report by the National Audit Office last year warned that the system was 'financially unsustainable' and risked forcing councils into bankruptcy. A 'statutory override' that effectively allows local authorities to ignore funding shortfalls is due to expire next March. The IFS think-tank highlighted in December that central government funding for high needs had reached £11billion a year, up 59 per cent in real terms since 2015–16. That accounted for half of the total real-terms rise in school funding over the same period. Just over £1.5billion was earmarked for transporting SEN pupils aged up to 16 in 2024-25. That was up from £1.2billion the previous year - and around three times the level from 2017-18. The overall schools budget in England was around £64billion last year. Ms Phillipson yesterday said that a review due in the autumn would ensure children would get the 'support maintained that they need'. But she repeatedly dodged on whether they would retain the legal right to extra help guaranteed by the EHCP system. She told the BBC the situation was 'tough' and suggested that more children may have to have their needs met through mainstream education. She said the current system was 'too adversarial, it takes too long, it's too bureaucratic'. 'I do think we need to just take a step back and think about how do we build a better system that is more timely, more effective and actually maximises support including for children with complex needs,' Ms Phillipson said. Options thought to be under consideration including phasing out EHCPs or restricting them to children with the most profound needs. However, one Labour MP told the Guardian: 'This could be a massive problem. We are hoping there will be proper engagement around it, but we are worried about some of the signals we are picking up.' Another said: 'People are really, really worried about this. It is one of the things that is going to make people feel very, very uncomfortable.' A letter to the paper signed by dozens of campaigners - including Jane Asher, the actor and president of the National Autistic Society - said EHCPs must be kept to avoid thousands of children being 'denied vital provision, or losing access to education altogether'. The most common type of need for those with an EHC plan is autistic spectrum disorder, DfE said
Sky News
41 minutes ago
- Sky News
Reeves's tax turmoil deepens
👉Listen to Politics at Sam and Anne's on your podcast app👈 Sky News' Sam Coates and Politico's Anne McElvoy serve up their essential guide to the day in British politics. Sir Keir Starmer will be hoping for a quieter week, after the largest backbench rebellion since he took power last week over the reforms to the welfare system. But it might not work out that way, as questions remain about how Chancellor Rachel Reeves will fill the £5.5bn blackhole in the public finances. Sam and Anne discuss the scale of the challenge the government is facing and what tax changes could be on the horizon.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Starmer braced for fresh rebellion over reforms to special needs support
Sir Keir Starmer is reportedly facing another rebellion from his backbenchers over reforms to support for children with special needs in England, just days after he was forced into a humiliating climbdown on welfare cuts. On Sunday, education secretary Bridget Phillipson insisted that ministers are committed to reforming support for children with learning difficulties or disabilities, which currently costs £12bn a year. But she refused to rule out Education, health and care plans (EHCPs) are statutory documents which outline the support needed to help children with special needs and disabilities achieve key life outcomes. Many seeing them as the only way to get schools to provide the support children need. Asked whether she could rule out getting rid of EHCPs, Ms Phillipson described it as a 'complex and sensitive area'. Speaking to the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, she added: 'What I can say very clearly is that we will strengthen and put in place better support for children.' 'I've been spending a lot of time listening to parents, to disability rights groups, to campaigners and to others and to colleagues across Parliament as well, because it's important to get this right,' she added, but said it is 'tough'. But now senior Labour figures have told The Times that the plans risk becoming 'welfare mark two', claiming that dozens of MPs are prepared to rebel over the issue. One Labour MP urged the government to 'think again now or they'll be repeating the same mistake they made with welfare reform.' 'We're all in favour of reforming the system but that cannot be driven by saving money and taking support away from children', they added. A second Labour MP said: 'If they thought taking money away from disabled adults was bad, watch what happens when they try the same with disabled kids.' It comes after Sir Keir was forced to abandon a key plank of his controversial benefit cuts in order to get them through parliament following a major revolt from his backbenchers. In a letter shared with The Guardian, campaigners have said that without EHCP documents in mainstream schools, 'many thousands of children risk being denied vital provision, or losing access to education altogether'. They said: 'For more than 40 years, children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities have had a statutory right to an education that meets their needs. 'Set alongside catastrophic plans to cut benefits for disabled people, this raises the question of who we are as a country and the kind of society in which we want to live. 'Whatever the Send system's problems, the answer is not to remove the rights of children and young people. Families cannot afford to lose these precious legal protections.' Signatories to the letter include the heads of charities, professors, Send parents including actor Sally Phillips, and campaigners including broadcaster Chris Packham. The government has said it 'inherited a Send (special educational needs and disabilities) system left on its knees' and it is 'looking at changes' to improve support for children and parents. Data from the Department for Education released in June indicated that the number of EHCPs has increased. In total, there were 638,745 EHCPs in place in January 2025, up 10.8 per cent on the same point last year. The number of new plans that started during 2024 also grew by 15.8 per cent on the previous year, to 97,747. Requests for children to be assessed for EHCPs rose by 11.8 per cent to 154,489 in 2024. A Department for Education spokesperson said: 'The evidence is clear that this government inherited a Send system left on its knees – which is why we are looking at changes to improve support for children and stop parents having to fight for help. We have been clear that there are no plans to abolish Send tribunals, or to remove funding or support from children, families and schools. 'This government is actively working with parents and experts on the solutions, including more early intervention to prevent needs from escalating and £740 million to encourage councils to create more specialist places in mainstream schools. 'As part of our plan for change, we will restore the confidence of families up and down the country and deliver the improvement they are crying out for so every child can achieve and thrive.'
