Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has insisted the government's welfare reforms must be pushed through, signalling no further concessions despite a potential Labour rebellion over disability benefit cuts. Speaking en route to the G7 summit in Canada, Starmer emphasised the need to reform a system he described as failing both those in need and taxpayers.
The reforms, outlined in a green paper in March, aim to save £5 billion annually by tightening eligibility for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) and altering carer benefits. Up to 1.3 million people in England and Wales could lose some support, with constituencies like Liverpool Walton, Blackpool South, and Liverpool Riverside most affected, each seeing around 5,000 claimants impacted.
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall has offered some concessions ahead of a Commons vote next month, but Starmer's tough stance suggests no further changes. Reports of the vote being treated as a confidence issue were denied by Number 10, though plans for a reshuffle are in place if ministers resign.
Starmer reiterated the principles guiding the reforms: those who can work should work, those needing support into work should receive it, and those unable to work must be properly protected. He stated, "We have got to get the reforms through… The system is not working."
