Sir Keir Starmer has suffered a blow to his authority as Labour MPs almost derailed the Government’s attempts to reform the welfare system.
The Prime Minister has now faced a huge blow to his authority after being forced to abandon a key part of his welfare reforms in the face of a mass rebellion by Labour MPs. GB News has now waded in on the conversation, with one guest describing the situation as “a humiliation.” Sir Keir Starmer got rid of cuts to disability benefits that had prompted MPs to rebel, as Labour whips concluded that the Government risked losing a vote in the Commons. Rachel Reeves now has a fiscal hole to fill, and in the meantime, the Government has pitted its own MPs against each other and climbed down on the major part of reform.
Despite the bill passing relatively easily, it will likely face more opposition next week and throughout its passage through Parliament. The entire process has caused a wave of backlash, with GB News guest Fraser Myers saying Starmer’s climbdown on welfare reform shows “Labour can’t take tough decisions.”
Sir Keir has suffered a huge blow to his authority (Image: Getty)
He said, “Well, this isn’t just a U-turn from Keir Starmer — it’s a humiliation. These reforms are pretty urgent. There are so many people languishing in this country on disability benefits when they could be productive and working.”
Fraser added, “It is entirely based on the policy changes. The problem is that the government needs to reform this. But now there is no chance of this being reformed. This Government came in and said it was going to bring change, it was going to be a reforming Government.
“We wonder what other tough decisions will be reversed at the first sight of a backbench rebellion. The rebels know that they can force the Government to climb down now.”
Labour MPs in the Commons have had their own say and said the government’s handling of the reforms was “crazy”. Left-wing Labour MP Paula Barker labelled it an “incoherent and shambolic” retreat, voicing that it was “the most unedifying spectacle I have ever seen”.
Liz Kendall insists that the government “must not and will not duck” reform of benefits. Backbencher Maria Tidball said the reform “would exclude eligibility for those who cannot put on their underwear, prosthetic limbs or shoes without support”.
