Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to "press ahead" with the government's planned welfare changes, despite a growing rebellion from Labour backbench MPs. More than 120 Labour MPs have signed up to an effort to blockplans to cut disability and sickness-related benefitspayments to save £5bn a year by 2030. The threatened rebellion is enough to wipe out the government's working majority in Parliament. But speaking ahead of a meeting of Nato leaders, the prime minister said the current welfare system was "unsustainable" and could not be left unreformed. Asked by journalists if he would consider pausing the reforms given the size of the rebellion, Sir Keir said: "I intend to press ahead. "We were elected in to change what is broken in our country," he added. Sir Keir said the current welfare system "traps people" on benefits, and was set to fuel "unsustainable" rises in the cost to taxpayers. He added that the projected increase in the number claiming Personal Independence Payments (Pips) each year was "the equivalent of the population of a city the size of Leicester". "So those that care about a future welfare system have to answer the question: 'how do you reform what you've got to make sure it's sustainable for the future?" Asked if he would be happy to rely on Conservative votes to push the reforms through Parliament, he said: "I have no idea what the Conservatives will do. I don't think they've got the first idea what they're doing." Sign up for our Politics Essential newsletterto keep up with the inner workings of Westminster and beyond.
PM vows to press on with welfare cuts as rebellion grows
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"Prime Minister Starmer Committed to Welfare Reforms Amid Labour Backbench Opposition"
Bbc News
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TruthLens AI Summary
Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, has reaffirmed his commitment to proceed with proposed changes to the welfare system, despite facing significant pushback from over 120 Labour backbench MPs who have united to oppose cuts to disability and sickness-related benefits. These proposed cuts aim to save approximately £5 billion annually by 2030 and are seen as a potential threat to the government's working majority in Parliament. During a press conference held before a NATO leaders' meeting, Starmer emphasized the necessity of reforming what he described as an 'unsustainable' welfare system, arguing that the current setup traps individuals on benefits and leads to an unsustainable increase in taxpayer costs. He pointed out that the rise in the number of claimants for Personal Independence Payments (PIPs) is significant, comparable to the population of a city the size of Leicester, which underscores the urgent need for reform to ensure a sustainable welfare system for the future.
In response to questions regarding the possibility of pausing the reforms due to the mounting rebellion within his party, Starmer remained resolute, stating, 'I intend to press ahead.' He maintained that the Labour government was elected to address and rectify systemic issues within the country. When queried about the prospect of relying on Conservative votes to push the reforms through Parliament, Starmer expressed uncertainty about the Conservative Party's stance, suggesting that they lack a coherent strategy. His comments reflect a broader commitment to pursuing welfare reform as a means to address long-standing issues within the welfare system, despite internal dissent and potential political challenges ahead.
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