Keir Starmer speaking to business leaders (Image: Getty)
Labour rebels insisted they would not end their opposition to disability benefit cuts as Sir Keir Starmer vowed to press ahead with a vote next week, despite the danger of a humiliating defeat. The Prime Minister admitted “conversations” with Labour backbenchers were taking place amid reports he is personally making telephone calls begging critics to back the government.
But one Labour MP told the Express: “They are warning us we could bring the government down, but what they don’t understand is that if my voters see me voting for these cuts, I will lose my seat.”
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Another said the 126 Labour MPs who had signed an amendment opposing cuts to Personal Independence Payments had already made up their minds. The Labour MP said: “It’s far too late. Number 10 should have had these conversations weeks or even months ago.”
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The Government’s Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill will make it harder to claim Personal Independence Payments (PIP), which helps disabled people with living costs, so that 800,000 lose an average of ￡4,500 annually. A vote is due to take place on July 1 but the number of Labour MPs signing an amendment opposing the measure is enough to defeat the government if opposition parties vote with them.
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Lucy Powell, the Leader of the Commons and a member of Sir Keir’s Cabinet, yesterday told MPs the vote would go ahead, although Sir Keir is understood privately to be considering cancelling it if frantic efforts to reassure his MPs fail to quash the rebellion.
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The Prime Minister and Chancellor Rachel Reeves insisted they would “listen” to concerns, with Sir Keir telling MPs: “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.”
He insisted there was a consensus “on the urgent need for reform of our welfare system, because the British people deserve protection and dignity when they are unable to work and supported to work when they can.”
Chancellor Rachel Reeves told ITV Central: “Of course we’ve got to take people with us on this journey. And over the next few days, we’ll continue listening ahead of the vote on Tuesday.”
Ministers and whips have attempted to reassure Labour MPs that backing the measures next week would allow further discussion to take place, with changes possible before a final vote is held at a later date. However one Labour MP told the Express: “Those of us who have been here a while know that’s not how it works. It never happens.”
Labour rebels have also been told they are undermining the Government and defeat next week could even force Sir Keir to resign. But the failure to reassure sceptical backbenchers was illustrated by the increase in the number of rebels signing the amendment, up from 108 at the start of the week to 126 yesterday. Those who sign have the option of removing their names if they wish.
Ministers argued action was essential to stop the welfare bill ballooning, as there are currently 1,000 successful claims for PiP every day. Spending on working age disability and incapacity benefits is set to reach ￡70 billion a year on current trends.
Labour MP Rachael Maskell urged the Government to axe the Bill. She said: “We have spoken to our constituents and organisations representing disabled people who reject the Bill because it will cause harm to disabled people and their voices have not been heard.”
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Another Labour backbencher, Emma Lewell, said: “Cutting benefits will not incentivise people to go out and find a job that doesn’t exist.” She said the Government had failed to publish assessments showing how the changes would affect people.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said Sir Keir faced “the fight of his life” and said welfare spending was “out of control”.
She said: “Our country is living beyond its means. We are spending more than we’re earning and it means the cost of living crisis for working people is getting worse and worse,” the Conservative leader told the British Chambers of Commerce conference.
Despite a majority in Parliament, Sir Keir Starmer is in the “fight of his life” because his MPs are “too scared to make difficult decisions”, she said.
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Downing Street would not be drawn on whether Sir Keir Starmer still had full confidence in chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, who is blamed by some Labour MPs for allowing the row to reach crisis point.
“We would never comment on members of Downing Street staff,” a No 10 spokesman said.
David Blunkett, the former Labour Home Secretary, said losing next week’s vote could force the Government to hold a confidence vote to determine whether it still had the support of MPs. He said: “If they lost it, they’d have to go for a vote of confidence, I think. But the embarrassment of that one year in, the difficulty of that leaves you with two problems. One is you’ve been humiliated, and the second is you’ve still got the problem. The welfare issue has not gone away.”