Latest news with #welfareState
Sky News
4 days ago
- Business
- Sky News
Starmer couldn't be clearer: Britain must prepare for war
Clement Attlee was the Labour prime minister credited with creating the welfare state. On Monday, at a shipbuilding yard in Glasgow, Sir Keir Starmer presented himself as a Labour prime minister who wants to be credited with turning the UK into a warfare-ready state, as he spoke of the need for the UK to be prepared for the possibility of war at the launch of his government's Strategic Defence Review. The rhetoric couldn't be clearer: Britain is on a wartime footing. The UK's armed forces must move to "war-fighting readiness" over the coming years, the UK faces a "more serious and immediate" threat than anytime since the Cold War, and "every citizen must play their part". The prime minister promised to fulfil the recommendations of the 10-year strategic defence plan, which will be published in full on Monday afternoon. But what he refused to do was explain when he would deliver on spending 3% of GDP on defence - the commitment necessary to deliver the recommendations in the Strategic Defence Review. 8:36 PM is sticking plasters over wounds His refusal to do so blunts his argument. On the one hand, the prime minister insists there is no greater necessity than protecting citizens, while on the other hand, he says his ability to deliver 3% of spending on defence is "subject to economic and fiscal conditions". This is a prime minister who promised an end to "sticking plaster politics", who promised to take difficult decisions in the interest of the country. One of those difficult decisions could well be deciding, if necessary, to cut other budgets in order to find the 3% needed for defence spending. Instead, the prime minister is sticking plasters over wounds. After voters lashed out at Labour in the local elections, the Starmer government announced it was going to look again at the cut to pensioners' winter fuel allowance. There is an expectation, too, that Sir Keir is planning to lift the two-child cap on benefits. Refusing to lift the cap was one of his hard choices going into the election, but now he is looking soft on it. 2:15 What choices is Starmer prepared to make? That's why I asked him on Monday what the choices are that he's going to make as prime minister. Is his choice properly-funded defence, or is it to reverse winter fuel cuts, or lift the two-child benefit cap? If he needs to be the prime minister creating the warfare state, can he also deliver what voters and his own MPs want when it comes to the welfare state? To hit the 3% target, Sir Keir would have to find an extra £13bn. That's difficult to find, and especially difficult when the government is reversing on difficult decisions its made on cuts. For now, the prime minister doesn't want to answer the question about the choices he's perhaps going to make. But if he is really clear-eyed about the security threat and what is required for the UK to become ready for war, it is question he is going to have to answer.
Sky News
4 days ago
- Business
- Sky News
Starmer wants UK to be a warfare-ready state - but how does that balance with the welfare state?
Clement Attlee was the Labour prime minister credited with creating the welfare state. On Monday, at a shipbuilding yard in Glasgow, Sir Keir Starmer presented himself as a Labour prime minister who wants to be credited with turning the UK into a warfare-ready state, as he spoke of the need for the UK to be prepared for the possibility of war at the launch of his government's Strategic Defence Review. The rhetoric couldn't be clearer: Britain is on a wartime footing. The UK's armed forces must move to "war-fighting readiness" over the coming years, the UK faces a "more serious and immediate" threat than anytime since the Cold War, and "every citizen must play their part". The prime minister promised to fulfil the recommendations of the 10-year strategic defence plan, which will be published in full on Monday afternoon. But what he refused to do was explain when he would deliver on spending 3% of GDP on defence - the commitment necessary to deliver the recommendations in the Strategic Defence Review. 8:36 PM is sticking plasters over wounds His refusal to do so blunts his argument. On the one hand, the prime minister insists there is no greater necessity than protecting citizens, while on the other hand, he says his ability to deliver 3% of spending on defence is "subject to economic and fiscal conditions". This is a prime minister who promised an end to "sticking plaster politics", who promised to take difficult decisions in the interest of the country. One of those difficult decisions could well be deciding, if necessary, to cut other budgets in order to find the 3% needed for defence spending. Instead, the prime minister is sticking plasters over wounds. After voters lashed out at Labour in the local elections, the Starmer government announced it was going to look again at the cut to pensioners' winter fuel allowance. There is an expectation, too, that Sir Keir is planning to lift the two-child cap on benefits. Refusing to lift the cap was one of his hard choices going into the election, but now he is looking soft on it. 2:15 👉Listen to Politics at Sam and Anne's on your podcast app👈 What choices is Starmer prepared to make? That's why I asked him on Monday what the choices are that he's going to make as prime minister. Is his choice properly-funded defence, or is it to reverse winter fuel cuts, or lift the two-child benefit cap? If he needs to be the prime minister creating the warfare state, can he also deliver what voters and his own MPs want when it comes to the welfare state? To hit the 3% target, Sir Keir would have to find an extra £13bn. That's difficult to find, and especially difficult when the government is reversing on difficult decisions its made on cuts. For now, the prime minister doesn't want to answer the question about the choices he's perhaps going to make. But if he is really clear-eyed about the security threat and what is required for the UK to become ready for war, it is question he is going to have to answer.
Bloomberg
19-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Republicans Like Europe — Whether They Know It or Not
Once upon a time, Republicans saw America as a 'shining city upon a hill' with 'free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity.' Now, based on some of their comments and policies, the party's vision for the country is for less consumption, fewer choices, a bigger welfare state, a larger manufacturing sector and cheaper drugs. In general, today's Republicans idealize the past and favor a slower-moving world. In other words, what Republicans want is Europe.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Disability benefit cuts impossible to support, 42 Labour MPs tell Starmer
More than 40 Labour MPs have warned the prime minister that planned disability cuts are 'impossible to support' and have called for a pause and change in direction. The letter from parliamentarians spanning the new intake and veterans, and from the left and right of the party, sets Keir Starmer up for the biggest rebellion of his premiership when the House of Commons votes on the measures next month. There has already been widespread concern among Labour MPs about proposed changes including a significant tightening of eligibility for personal independent payments (Pips), saving about £5bn annually. They would also involve cuts or freezes to incapacity benefits for people who apply for universal credit but are judged unfit to work. According to internal Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) forecasts, the planned disability benefit cuts would affect 700,000 families who are already in poverty. A vote on the proposals is expected in June, and a number of MPs are concerned they are being asked to approve the plans without proper knowledge of the consequences. The letter has so far been signed by 42 Labour MPs, putting the government on course for its biggest rebellion yet. The proposals, set out in a government green paper, have 'caused a huge amount of anxiety and concern among disabled people and their families', according to the letter. 'The planned cuts of more than £7bn represent the biggest attack on the welfare state since George Osborne ushered in the years of austerity and over 3 million of our poorest and most disadvantaged will be affected,' it says. 'Whilst the government may have correctly diagnosed the problem of a broken benefits system and a lack of job opportunities for those who are able to work, they have come up with the wrong medicine. Cuts don't create jobs, they just cause more hardship.' The letter calls on ministers to delay any decisions until they see full assessments on the impact of any cuts, and for 'a genuine dialogue with disabled people's organisations to redesign something that is less complex and offers greater support, alongside tackling the barriers that disabled people face when trying to find and maintain employment'. It goes on: 'We also need to invest in creating job opportunities and ensure the law is robust enough to provide employment protections against discrimination. Without a change in direction, the green paper will be impossible to support.' Among the signatories are some MPs on the left of the party such as Diane Abbott and Kim Johnson, but also a series of more centrist backbenchers, and there are 14 from the 2024 intake, including Lorraine Beavers, Cat Eccles, Terry Jermy, Peter Lamb and Simon Opher. The benefit changes, set out by Liz Kendall, the work and pensions secretary, in March, would tighten eligibility criteria for Pips so that people need to score four points in at least one activity to qualify for the daily living allowance. Also, while the basic rate of universal credit for those in, or looking for, work would rise by about £15 a week from April 2026, the incapacity benefit would be cut for new claimants judged as unfit for work. Support would be frozen for existing claimants. People under the age of 22 wanting the health top-up of universal credit would no longer qualify under plans being consulted on. Kendall said her department would spend up to £1bn a year extra on helping people back into jobs. When the plans were set out, Debbie Abrahams, the Labour MP who chairs the Commons work and pensions committee, warned against 'balancing the books on the backs of sick and disabled people'. While a series of individual backbenchers have voiced their serious concerns about the plans, the letter makes plain the scale of that concern, even if the language of being unable to support the plans holds out the possibility of abstention as well as voting against. Starmer's government has so far only experienced small Commons revolts, in part because of the very robust No 10 response the first time it happened. Downing Street suspended seven MPs from the Labour whip shortly after the general election in July when they voted in favour of a Scottish National party amendment to scrap the two-child benefit limit. A DWP source said: 'At the heart of these reforms is a determination to help more people into work. We understand that there are concerns. 'The secretary of state is engaging and talking to colleagues, explaining why these reforms will help transform people's lives.'
The Independent
08-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
More than 40 Labour MPs say welfare cuts ‘impossible to support'
More than 40 Labour MPs have urged the Prime Minister to pause and reassess planned cuts to disability benefits, saying current proposals are 'impossible to support'. In a letter first reported by The Guardian, some 42 backbenchers said the planned cuts represented 'the biggest attack on the welfare state since George Osborne ushered in the years of austerity'. The cuts, proposed by the Government in a Green Paper in March, would see a tightening of eligibility criteria for the personal independence payment (Pip), the main disability benefit in England. Restricting Pip would cut benefits for around 800,000 people, while the sickness-related element of universal credit is also set to be cut. The group of MPs said the proposals had 'caused a huge amount of anxiety and concern among disabled people and their families' and called for them to be delayed until at least the autumn. They said: 'Whilst the Government may have correctly diagnosed the problem of a broken benefits system and a lack of job opportunities for those who are able to work, they have come up with the wrong medicine. 'Cuts don't create jobs, they just cause more hardship. 'Ministers therefore need to delay any decisions until all the assessments have been published into the impact the cuts will have on employment, health and increased demand for health and social care.' They added: 'Without a change in direction, the Green Paper will be impossible to support.' Signatories include several vocal critics of Sir Keir Starmer's leadership, including Rachael Maskell and Diane Abbott, along with MPs such as Brian Leishman and Emma Lewell who called for a change of direction after last week's local elections. Those elections, in which Labour suffered a series of defeats at local polls and lost the Runcorn and Helsby by-election to Reform UK by just six votes, prompted criticism of some policies pursued by Sir Keir. Former Cabinet minister Louise Haigh said the welfare cuts, along with the loss of winter fuel payments, had been 'totemic' for many voters, while other backbenchers and Welsh First Minister Baroness Eluned Morgan have called for a change of plan. But Downing Street has so far ruled out reinstating the winter fuel payments, saying it would not be 'blown off course' after the local elections.
