Starmer preparing to water down welfare reforms
PM ready to make face-saving amendment to Bill in attempt to stop defeat at the hands of rebel Labour MPs
Sir Keir Starmer is preparing to back down on his welfare cuts Bill in an attempt to head off a rebellion by Labour MPs.
The Telegraph understands No 10 is exploring tabling its own amendment for the vote on Tuesday to avoid the Prime Minister’s first House of Commons defeat.
One option is to include a promise to speed up payment of funds to help people back into work. Another is offering assurances that reviews of policies in this area will be published soon.
But it is unclear whether those steps will be enough to convince 123 Labour MPs – more than a quarter of the total of 403 – who have signed an amendment aimed at killing off the proposals.
With its working majority of 165 MPs in the Commons, only 83 Labour MPs would have to rebel against Sir Keir to defeat the Government.
Bigger steps, such as removing the most disputed element of the new legislation – the disability benefit cuts – or even delaying the vote could be needed to avoid defeat.
The Prime Minister did not rule out new concessions at a press conference on Wednesday, while Angela Rayner, his deputy, said “those discussions are ongoing”.
She also indicated that the Government would not go against the wishes of Labour backbenchers, saying: “I haven’t changed my Labour values and we’re not expecting our benches to do anything that isn’t in check with them.”
Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, accused Sir Keir on Wednesday night of caving-in to Labour pressure. She said: “This weak Government is discussing watering down their already ineffective welfare Bill.
“Instead of caving to his MPs, Starmer could pass his Bill by committing to cutting the welfare budget, getting people back to work and ruling out new taxes. That’d be real change.”
Sir Keir flew back to the UK on Wednesday after attending the Nato summit in The Hague, with the biggest rebellion of his premiership awaiting him at home.
He will personally intervene in the coming days by talking to rebel Labour MPs in an attempt to change their minds.
On Tuesday, the first vote will be held on legislation that will raise the threshold for those claiming the personal independence payment (PIP), which helps with the extra living costs of having a disability.
Another idea is providing clarity on when reviews into the broad impact of the welfare changes will be published. MPs had criticised their absence before next week’s vote.
Sir Charlie Mayfield, the former chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, is conducting a review into how to boost employment of people with long-term health conditions, which is expected to be published this autumn. However, it is an independent review, meaning that the Government cannot intervene to speed up the process.
The Government was forced to consider concessions after the rebellion against the welfare cuts continued to grow.
Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, joined Sir Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, in calling for a “pause” on the measures.
Downing Street appeared to suggest on Wednesday that voting against the welfare cuts would be immoral, triggering a further backlash from Labour rebels.
A No 10 spokesman said: “For too long, meaningful reform to a failing system has been ducked or delayed. We simply cannot go on ignoring a system that’s been failing on all accounts. That is not the moral or progressive thing to do.”
Diane Abbott, the veteran Left-wing Labour MP, told The Telegraph: “It’s scandalous to accuse colleagues who are just trying to protect disabled people of being immoral.
“And it shows you they’re in a panic if they’re resorting to arguments that are so bankrupt.”
A second Labour MP added: “It may be that there are questions of morality about certain aspects of the existing welfare system, but it’s what they’re doing that is immoral.”
Opposition parties are also lining up to back the rebel amendment, increasing the chance of a defeat for the Government.
The Tories have set conditions on their support which Labour will not meet, such as promising no new tax rises this autumn. The Liberal Democrats are ideologically opposed to the welfare cuts.
Reform, despite backing reductions in the sickness benefits bill, will also side with the rebels by voting against Labour’s package.
Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, told The Telegraph: “I won’t do anything to help a Government get out of trouble that is doing such damage to our nation.”
The Prime Minister rejected the suggestion that he did not have the political nous to get the reforms past his own party when challenged during a press conference at the Nato summit.
Sir Keir said: “Many people predicted before the election that we couldn’t read the room, we hadn’t got the politics right and we wouldn’t win an election after 2019, because we lost so badly.
“That was the constant charge of me at press conferences like this, and we got a landslide victory. So I’m comfortable with reading the room and delivering the change the country needs.”
He added: “Is it tough going? Are there plenty of people and noises off? Yes, of course, there always are, there always have been, there always will be.”
The Centre for Social Justice, a Right-leaning think tank, will on Thursday publish new analysis suggesting that limiting mental health benefits to people with the most severe conditions would save up to £9 billion.
Mrs Badenoch will indicate Tory support for the measures in a speech on Thursday, saying: “That is a serious amount of money we could save. But I know it won’t be easy.
“Under my leadership, the Conservative Party will not shy away from confronting the tough questions that need answering and, more importantly, providing the solutions.”
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