Starmer seeks to quell revolt to speed through welfare reforms
A No 10 source said: 'Delivering fundamental change is not easy, and we all want to get it right, so of course we're talking to colleagues about the Bill and the changes it will bring, we want to start delivering this together on Tuesday.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
34 minutes ago
- The Sun
Labour are in PANIC – Farage is streets ahead in polls & welfare rebels are set to pile more misery on flailing Starmer
WHEN it rains, it pours… and Sir Keir Starmer cannot catch a break. A poll today shows Labour is on course for a thumping at the next election at the hands of Nigel Farage. 4 4 The YouGov 'gold-standard' MRP puts Reform on course to win the most seats on 271, while the PM's current 412 would be more than halved to 178. Sir Keir's supporters point out there are still four years to go until the next election, giving plenty of time to turn things around. But it is the fact his government has become so unpopular so soon after last year's landslide that should really worry them. A map of the projected outcome shows Reform winning in all parts of the country, flipping once Labour strongholds in the Red Wall, while reducing the Tories to a rump of 46. That so many Labour MPs - including a string of Cabinet Ministers - look to fall in a Farage wave spells trouble for Sir Keir. Rebels who in good times would ordinarily remain loyal to the government could throw caution to the wind and vote how they like. As one party insider tells me: 'Why would they care about rebelling on something they feel strongly about if they'll be out in four years time anyway?'. It means the current revolt over benefits could be just the start of the PM's troubles. Such is the scale of the revolt over the government's package of welfare savings that No10 has gone into crisis mode. Ministers may be keeping calm in public but, like a duck's feet furiously paddling below the surface, in private they are panicking. I can reveal that Sir Keir's diary was being rejigged today so he can personally lead the ring-round of Labour rebels upon his return from his NATO dash to Holland. It is therefore perhaps a happy coincidence that his aides recently discovered the Downing Street vending machine has started stocking Red Bull. They are going to need all their energy for a fraught few days that could decide the fate of Labour's entire premiership. The golden rule in politics is knowing how to count - so some numbers: around 120 Labour backbenchers are threatening to torpedo the government's £5billion package in benefit cuts. They say the squeeze on Personal Independence Payments specifically could push 250,000 claimants into poverty. Combined with the opposition parties, they have marshalled enough troops to easily wipe out Sir Keir's 156 majority when the vote happens in just five days' time. Defeat would strike a humiliating blow to Sir Keir's authority and throw into doubt his ability to push through any serious reform. If he cannot even convince his troops to get behind £5billion in welfare cuts, what hope does he have of reining in a sickness benefits bill set to balloon to £100billion within five years? Downing Street has been left with two options: postpone the vote and buy time to redraw their proposals in a way that satisfies the rebels, despite the stench of weakness. Or roll the dice and try to peel off as many mutineers as possible with the prospect of concessions. For now, Starmer has chosen to go to the negotiating table, with both him and his deputy Angela Rayner publicly stressing the vote on Tuesday will happen. Over the next few days the PM, his ministers and his whips will use a mix of olive branches, arm-twisting, and downright dark arts to smash the revolt. A 'bleeding stumps' pitch has seen rebels told that popular policies - like more cash for hospitals and school breakfast clubs - could all be at risk without welfare savings. Meanwhile the more career-driven MPs are being gently warned that their hopes of a government job will evaporate if they walk through the wrong voting lobby. The name of one ambitious newbie who has been excitably telling colleagues he wants 'regime change' has worked its way back to No10. He can kiss goodbye to a ministerial red box… But even MPs loyal to Starmer - and there are still a lot of them - are not convinced anything other than serious concessions will pull the rebels back from the brink. One member of the government tells me: 'It's hard to see how they can get this over line on the current voting timeline without some concessions to get some of the heavy hitters to change course. 'But it is unclear if that reality has yet fully landed with No10.' Another supportive MP reckons a commitment on the floor of the House of Commons to soften the package later down the line is 'the only way to keep the show on the road'. One senior rebel insists they 'can find a compromise' but Downing Street 'need to take their fingers out of their ears'. And the rebellion is not just contained to the backbenches. One MP swears that as many as five Parliamentary Private Secretaries - the first rung on the ministerial ladder - are willing to abstain in protest. Whether Sir Keir wins the vote or not, this whole mess is symptomatic of a deeper problem running through his premiership: a growing sense he is not in control. A string of embarrassing u-turns - from winter fuel cuts to the grooming gangs national inquiry - are a dangerous smoke signal to his MPs that he can be pushed around. And worryingly to the government - much like the Brexit Spartans who hamstrung Theresa May's government - the new Labour rebels are organised. Experienced committee chairs on the soft left of the party have developed a sophisticated shadow whipping operation to marshal their troops. That No10 was totally blindsided by the ambush on Monday night is testament to their tactics - and exposed a Downing Street intelligence operation sorely lacking. Terrified of party whips getting wind, the ringleaders recruited disgruntled MPs to their cause through snatched conversations in corridors and on the Commons terrace. As one MP warns: 'They have spreadsheets and they can count. This whole saga has given them intel on how to whip'. And you can bet that fighting benefits cuts will not be their only rallying cause over the next four years. Axing the two-child benefit cap - on which the PM has already shown ankle at the mere flickers of backbench grumblings - will be next. The danger for Sir Keir now is spiralling into a doom loop of chaos, which breeds unpopularity, which breeds more chaos, which breeds more unpopularity.
Leader Live
44 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Starmer seeks to win round welfare rebels with promise of ‘fairness'
The talks ahead of Tuesday's Commons showdown come after 126 Labour MPs publicly backed a move to block it. Sir Keir told MPs he wanted the reforms, which will restrict access to sickness and incapacity benefits, to demonstrate 'Labour values of fairness'. The Prime Minister told MPs there was 'consensus across the House on the urgent need for reform' of the 'broken' welfare system. 'I know colleagues across the House are eager to start fixing that, and so am I, and that all colleagues want to get this right, and so do I,' he said. 'We want to see reform implemented with Labour values of fairness. 'That conversation will continue in the coming days, so we can begin making change together on Tuesday.' The Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill has its second reading on Tuesday, the first opportunity for MPs to vote on it. If the legislation clears its first hurdle, it will then face a few hours' examination by all MPs the following week – rather than days or weeks in front of a committee tasked with looking at the Bill – with a plan for it to clear the Commons a little over a week later on July 9. Ministers have said they will listen to suggestions to improve the legislation, but opposition appears entrenched and the swift timetable for the Bill could add to critics' concerns. Commons Leader Lucy Powell told MPs: 'As the House would expect, the Government actively engages with parliamentary opinion throughout a bill's passage, as we are doing intensively with the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill.' But some Labour critics of the Bill said there were no concessions the Government could make which would persuade them to support it. Liverpool West Derby MP Ian Byrne said: 'No tweaks or concessions can save the disability cuts Bill. 'It's an awful piece of legislation that will cause huge and lasting damage to my disabled constituents and those across the UK.' York Central MP Rachael Maskell said the Bill 'cannot and must not be saved'. 'Any concessions will still cause harm to disabled people,' she said. 'The only option is to withdraw the Bill, rethink and start to rebuild trust with disabled people.' Overnight, six more Labour MPs added their names to the rebel amendment that would halt the legislation in its tracks. The reasoned amendment argues that disabled people have not been properly consulted and further scrutiny of the changes is needed. It is clear that the UC & PIP Bill cannot and must not be saved. Any concessions will still cause harm to disabled people. The only option is to withdraw the Bill, rethink and start to rebuild trust with disabled people. Not to is not Labour. — 💙Rachael Maskell MP (@RachaelMaskell) June 26, 2025 The new names take the total number of Labour backbenchers supporting the amendment, tabled by Treasury Select Committee chairwoman Dame Meg Hillier, to 126 out of a total of 162 backers from all parties. The plans restrict eligibility for the personal independence payment (Pip), the main disability payment in England, and limit the sickness-related element of universal credit. The Government hopes the changes will get more people back into work and save up to £5 billion a year. The Daily Telegraph reported that potential concessions being considered include a commitment to speed up payment of support to help people back into work and offering assurances that reviews of policies in this area will be published. Meanwhile, The Times reported some MPs opposed to the plans had blamed Sir Keir's chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney and suggested the time had come for 'regime change' in Downing Street. Asked if Sir Keir had confidence in his chief of staff, the No 10 spokesman would not comment on Downing Street staffing matters. Analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) think tank indicated that 800,000 fewer working-age people are expected to receive a Pip daily living award in 2029–30 as a result of the reforms. The tighter criteria are set to lead to 430,000 new applicants – who would have received an award without reforms – receiving no award, and 370,000 existing claimants losing out following reassessment. NEW: Government's benefit reforms could reduce annual spending by around £11 billion in the long run – but still leave health-related benefit bill far above pre-pandemic levels. Read @TomWatersEcon, @LatimerEduin and @matthewoulton's new report: — Institute for Fiscal Studies (@TheIFS) June 26, 2025 Most of the 800,000 losers will receive £3,850 per year less in Pip. The 2.2 million existing claimants of the health element of universal credit who are expected to still be claiming in 2029–30 are estimated to see a £450 real decline in their support in that year because of the freezing of the payment. There are also set to be 700,000 new claimants who will typically receive £2,700 a year less than they would have done under the current system, the IFS said. It will be well into the 2030s before the reforms are fully rolled out and, in the long-term, the savings could amount to around £11 billion a year, the IFS said. A little over a quarter of the public are supportive of the proposed reforms, according to polling published on Thursday. Of 2,004 people surveyed by More in Common over the weekend, just 27% said they supported the planned changes to the benefits system and half (51%) said they believe the cuts would worsen the health of disabled people. A similar proportion (52%) said the cuts would increase pressure on the NHS while six in 10 said the Government should look at alternative cost-saving measures instead. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said the Government should pull the Bill and 'go back to the drawing board' instead of 'cutting vital support from thousands of vulnerable people'.
Glasgow Times
an hour ago
- Glasgow Times
Starmer seeks to quell revolt to speed through welfare reforms
Downing Street insiders said talks were taking place with Labour MPs about the legislation after 126 of them publicly backed a move to block it. The first vote on the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill will take place on Tuesday and a concerted effort has been launched by ministers to win round potential rebels. The Prime Minister told MPs there was 'consensus across the House on the urgent need for reform' of the 'broken' welfare system. 'I know colleagues across the House are eager to start fixing that, and so am I, and that all colleagues want to get this right, and so do I,' he said. 'We want to see reform implemented with Labour values of fairness. 'That conversation will continue in the coming days, so we can begin making change together on Tuesday.' If the legislation clears its first hurdle it will then face a few hours' examination by all MPs – rather than days or weeks in front of a committee tasked with looking at the Bill – with a plan for it to clear the Commons a little over a week later on July 9. Ministers have said they will listen to suggestions to improve the legislation but opposition appears entrenched and the swift timetable for the Bill could add to critics' concerns. Commons Leader Lucy Powell told MPs: 'As the House would expect, the Government actively engages with parliamentary opinion throughout a bill's passage, as we are doing intensively with the Universal Credit and Personal Independent Payment Bill.' A No 10 source said: 'Delivering fundamental change is not easy, and we all want to get it right, so of course we're talking to colleagues about the Bill and the changes it will bring, we want to start delivering this together on Tuesday.' Overnight six more Labour MPs added their names to the rebel amendment that would halt the legislation in its tracks. The reasoned amendment argues that disabled people have not been properly consulted and further scrutiny of the changes is needed. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer faces the most serious revolt of his premiership (Ben Stansall/PA) The new signatories include the Commons Environmental Audit Select Committee chairman Toby Perkins, Stoke-on-Trent Central MP Gareth Snell, Newcastle upon Tyne MP Mary Glindon and Tamworth MP Sarah Edwards. North Ayrshire and Arran MP Irene Campbell and Colchester MP Pam Cox, both of whom won their seats in the party's 2024 landslide election victory, have also added their names. The new names take the total number of Labour backbenchers supporting the amendment, tabled by Treasury Select Committee chairwoman Dame Meg Hillier, to 126 out of a total of 162 backers from all parties. The plans restrict eligibility for the personal independence payment (Pip), the main disability payment in England, and limit the sickness-related element of universal credit. The Government hopes the changes will get more people back into work and save up to £5 billion a year. Existing claimants will be given a 13-week phase-out period of financial support, a move seen as a bid to head off opposition by aiming to soften the impact of the changes. But the fact so many Labour MPs are prepared to put their names to the 'reasoned amendment' calling for a change of course shows how entrenched the opposition remains. One backbencher preparing to vote against the Bill told the PA news agency: 'A lot of people have been saying they're upset about this for months. 'To leave it until a few days before the vote, it's not a very good way of running the country. 'It's not very grown-up.' They said that minor concessions would not be enough, warning: 'I don't think you can tinker with this. They need to go back to the drawing board.' The Daily Telegraph reported that potential concessions being considered include a commitment to speed up payment of support to help people back into work and offering assurances that reviews of policies in this area will be published. Meanwhile, The Times reported some MPs opposed to the plans had blamed Sir Keir's chief of staff Morgan McSweeney and suggested the time had come for 'regime change' in Downing Street. Asked about attacks on Mr McSweeney, trade minister Douglas Alexander said: 'I'm much less interested in the gossip about SW1 than whether this legislation works on the streets, in the towns, in the communities right across the country.' He told Sky News it was 'for the Prime Minister to make his judgments' about who works in Downing Street but 'the fact is that team delivered us an historic victory only last July, against expectations'. He told ITV's Good Morning Britain: 'If there are practical ways that we can improve this legislation, we should. 'We should do it not to buy off rebels, but because it's a Labour thing to do and that's the conversation that I expect ministers will be engaged in in the coming days.' Analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) think tank indicated overall, 800,000 fewer working-age people are expected to receive a Pip daily living award in 2029–30 as a result of the reforms. The tighter criteria are set to lead to 430,000 new applicants – who would have received an award without reforms – receiving no award, and 370,000 existing claimants losing out following reassessment. Most of the 800,000 losers will receive £3,850 per year less in Pip. The 2.2 million existing claimants of the health element of universal credit who are expected to still be claiming in 2029–30 are estimated to see a £450 real decline in their support in that year because of the freezing of the payment. There are also set to be 700,000 new claimants who will typically receive £2,700 a year less than they would have done under the current system, the IFS said. NEW: Government's benefit reforms could reduce annual spending by around £11 billion in the long run – but still leave health-related benefit bill far above pre-pandemic levels. Read @TomWatersEcon, @LatimerEduin and @matthewoulton's new report: — Institute for Fiscal Studies (@TheIFS) June 26, 2025 It will be well into the 2030s before the reforms are fully rolled out and, in the long-term, the savings could amount to around £11 billion a year, the IFS said. A little over a quarter of the public are supportive of the proposed reforms, according to polling published on Thursday. Of 2,004 people surveyed by More in Common over the weekend, just 27% said they supported the planned changes to the benefits system and half (51%) said they believe the cuts would worsen the health of disabled people. A similar proportion (52%) said the cuts would increase pressure on the NHS while six in 10 said the Government should look at alternative cost-saving measures instead. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said the Government should pull the Bill and 'go back to the drawing board' instead of 'cutting vital support from thousands of vulnerable people'.
