PM defends leadership amid growing welfare rebellion

Sir Keir Starmer has defended his leadership as he confirmed the government will push ahead with a vote on welfare reforms, in spite of a large number of Labour MPs opposing the measures.

Despite efforts to stop a growing rebellion, more than 120 Labour backbenchers have signed an amendment calling for the proposals to be scrapped, making an embarrassing defeat for the government possible.

The prime minister insisted the Labour party was "pretty united" on the principle of reforming the welfare system and brushed off criticism as "noises off".

His comments came after Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner told MPs a vote on the government's welfare bill will go ahead as planned on Tuesday.

Speaking to the media at a Nato summit in the Hague on Wednesday, Sir Keir acknowledged that making reforms to welfare was "tough going" but "the important thing is to focus on the change that we want to bring about".

He said: "Are there plenty of people and noises off? Yes of course - there always are, there always have been, there always will be."

Asked whether he had misjudged the handling of the welfare row because he did not understand his own party, Sir Keir said: "Many people predicted before the election that we 'couldn't read the room' we 'hadn't got the politics right' we 'wouldn't win an election after 2019' because we lost so badly.

"We got a landslide victory. So I'm comfortable with reading the room and delivering the change the country needs."

He argued that the current welfare system "doesn't work as it stands for people who desperately need help to get into work or for people who need protection".

"We were elected in to change that which is broken, and that's what we will do, and that's why we will press ahead with reforms," he added.

Earlier in the House of Commons, Rayner had told MPs "we won't walk way and stand by and abandon millions of people trapped in a failing system".

She accused the Conservatives of having "no plans and no idea" on welfare policy.

Shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride asked Rayner if she could defend the bill and explain why she thought so many of her own colleagues were "wrong".

Rayner replied that the bill would help people into work, and end eligibility reassessments for the severely disabled.

With the prime minister at the Nato summit, Rayner and Sir Mel were standing in for their respective leaders at the weekly question session.

The government's Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill changes who would qualify for certain disability and sickness benefits.

Ministers have said the bill is crucial to slow down the increase in the number of people claiming benefits.

However, Labour critics of the bill have argued there has not been sufficient assessments of the impact of the measures, which they say will push large numbers into poverty.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said her party could be prepared to back the bill providing the government can guarantee it would reduce the welfare budget and get more people into work, without raising taxes - a list of conditions which the government would be unlikely to accede to.

Both Rayner and Sir Keir have now insisted they will push ahead with the welfare changes - however, as it stands, the numbers look difficult for the government and over the last few days senior ministers have been ringing round Labour MPs convincing them to back the bill.

So far, only one Labour MP, Samantha Niblett, has taken her name off the list of MPs supporting the amendment.

It is still up to the Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle whether this specific amendment gets voted on, but that could now be more likely as a number of other MPs from parties including the SDLP and the DUP have also added their names to the list.

Given the level of opposition to the bill from the Labour ranks, there had been speculation the government will be forced to pull the vote in order to avoid a defeat.

Asked by Sir Mel if this was the case, Rayner replied unequivocally: "We will go ahead on Tuesday."

Stride said Labour backbenchers had "heard that before" with the winter fuel payment, making reference to the government's U-turn last month.

He then repeated his leader's offer to the government to back their bill and save them from defeat, as long as ministers could commit to reducing the overall welfare bill.

Rayner responded with an attack on Sir Mel, who served as work and pensions secretary in the previous Conservative government.

"He demands further welfare savings, from the man who was in charge, as the welfare bill absolutely ballooned. They say cut welfare bill - they failed."

Sir Mel said the government's bill would fail to stop the number of claimants from rising and that tax rises in the autumn were "inevitable".

He asked Rayner if she could rule out tax increases. She said the criticism was "a bit rich" coming from a party that had introduced "the biggest tax rises".

During the debate, Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper asked Rayner for a guarantee that "not a single person would lose a penny" until the review into Carer's Allowance overpayment had been completed and the recommendations implemented.

The review was announced after more than 134,000 carers were forced to pay back thousands of pounds in over payments.

Rayner said the government was "taking steps" on the issue.