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Keir Starmer taking personal charge of picking off Labour rebels bidding to stop his benefits overhaul
SIR KEIR Starmer is taking personal charge of picking off Labour rebels opposing his benefits overhaul.
He will hit the phones in a mad dash to quell the 123-strong insurgency intent on scuppering his welfare reforms.
He insisted he would ' lead from the front ' to make £5billion of savings or face a gaping hole being blown in his public finance plans.
But one senior rebel last night said No 10 needed to 'take their fingers out of their ears' to win over objectors.
The source said: 'We can find a compromise that will achieve the Government's objectives and protect disabled people but they are going to have to get serious.'
It also emerged that No 10 appeared to be blindsided by the scores of MPs ready to kill off the legislation.
The PM, speaking from the Nato summit in The Hague, insisted he was able to understand the mood of his Labour MPs.
He said: 'I'm comfortable with reading the room and delivering the change the country needs.'
A vote will take place on Tuesday on restricting personal independence payments and limiting the sickness element of universal credit.
It will take only 80 MPs to rebel to wreck the move — and damage his authority.
But Sir Keir appeared to leave some hope for rebels, saying: 'It doesn't work as it stands for people who desperately need help to get into work or for people who need protection. It is broken.'
Meanwhile, new analysis from the Centre for Social Justice think tank reveals that limiting mental health benefits to people only with the most severe conditions would save £9billion and help more people back into the workplace.
Rachel Reeves delivers the Spring Budget in full
