18 h. ago PIP disability benefits cuts live: Liz Kendall set to slash DWP spending risking Labour fury

A package of reforms to sickness and disability benefits is set to be signed off today by Sir Keir Starmer's Government which could cut billions but has led to Labour backbench anger

Events

28 h. ago Keir Starmer to unveil watered down benefits reforms amid growing backlash from MPs

The Prime Minister tonight signed off proposals from Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall which are designed to curb the growth in Britain's bloated benefits bill.

Politics

29 h. ago Keir Starmer issued warning on eve of huge DWP benefit cuts announcement

Keir Starmer's Cabinet will meet on Tuesday to sign-off a controversial package of reforms to sickness and disability benefits - before the plans are announced to MPs

Events

36 h. ago 'Moral case' to slash Britain's benefits bill as Keir Starmer faces outcry from backbenchers

Diane Abbott, the Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP, says cutting money for disabled people ‘is not a Labour thing to do’

Politics

38 h. ago Keir Starmer faces outcry from backbenchers as Labour prepares to slash 'unsustainable' benefits bill

Diane Abbott, the Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP, says cutting money for disabled people ‘is not a Labour thing to do’

Politics

42 h. ago Keir Starmer faces backbench outcry as Labour prepares to slash 'unsustainable' benefits bill

Scale of backlash is reportedly forcing Labour to rethink plans to freeze the level of PIP rather than increase it in line with inflation

Politics

5 d. ago Defiant Keir Starmer defends billions in benefits cuts as backlash from his own MPs grows

Sir Keir Starmer has defended billions of pounds of looming benefits cuts despite a growing backlash from his own MPs.

Politics

5 d. ago NHS England abolition shows ‘we have to take difficult decisions’, says Starmer – UK politics live

PM says he is ‘bringing management of the NHS back into democratic control by abolishing the arms length body NHS England’Starmer is now talking about regulatation, and giving examples of where he thinks it has gone too far.l give you an example. There’s a office conversion in Bingley, which, as you know, is in Yorkshire. That is an office conversion that will create 139 homes.But now the future of that is uncertain because the regulator was not properly consulted on the power of cricket balls. That’s 139 homes. Now just think of the people, the families, the individuals who want those homes to buy, those homes to make their life and now they’re held up. Why? You’ll decide whether this is a good reason because I’m going to quote this is the reason ‘because the ball strike assessment doesn’t appear to be undertaken by a specialist, qualified consultant’. So that’s what’s holding up these 139 homes.When we had those terrible riots what we saw then, in response, was dynamic. It was str...

Politics

5 d. ago Starmer announces NHS England will be abolished, with central government back running health service – UK politics live

PM says he is ‘bringing management of the NHS back into democratic control by abolishing the arms length body NHS England’Starmer is now talking about regulatation, and giving examples of where he thinks it has gone too far.l give you an example. There’s a office conversion in Bingley, which, as you know, is in Yorkshire. That is an office conversion that will create 139 homes.But now the future of that is uncertain because the regulator was not properly consulted on the power of cricket balls. That’s 139 homes. Now just think of the people, the families, the individuals who want those homes to buy, those homes to make their life and now they’re held up. Why? You’ll decide whether this is a good reason because I’m going to quote this is the reason ‘because the ball strike assessment doesn’t appear to be undertaken by a specialist, qualified consultant’. So that’s what’s holding up these 139 homes.When we had those terrible riots what we saw then, in response, was dynamic. It was str...

Politics

5 d. ago Keir Starmer to outline reforms of ‘overcautious, flabby state’ in civil service speech – UK politics live

PM will give a speech shortly, followed by a Q&A with the mediaThe decision not to classify Axel Rudakubana as a terrorist following the Southport murders was right because it would be unhelpful to stretch the definition of terrorism to cover all extreme violence, Jonathan Hall KC, the UK’s terror watchdog, has concluded. Rachel Hall has the story.The Times today is running a story saying that Peter Kyle, the science secretary, “has described himself as a ‘disruptor’ with similarities to Elon Musk or Dominic Cummings” because he wants to use AI to modernise the delivery of public services.I aspire to be a disruptor in a positive way that takes people with us and excites people for change.The issue about disruptors and disruption – in the past, it’s been used in a fearful way, in a threatening way, in a way that actually creates circumstances where people are fearful of change. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Why Keir Starmer’s government is seeking to cut benefits bill

Labour targeting sickness and disability benefits which have ballooned amid an increasingly ageing and unwell population Keir Starmer’s government is aiming to cut billions of pounds from welfare spending before the spring statement.The prime minister has warned that Britain’s benefits system is the “worst of all worlds”, before the government publishes a green paper on sickness and disability benefit reform next week. Starmer faces the biggest rebellion of his premiership over the plans. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Why is Keir Starmer’s government seeking to cut the benefits bill?

Labour targeting sickness and disability benefits that have ballooned amid increasingly ageing and unwell populationKeir Starmer’s government is aiming to cut billions of pounds from welfare spending before the spring statement.The prime minister has warned that Britain’s benefits system is the “worst of all worlds”, before the government publishes a green paper on sickness and disability benefit changes next week. Starmer is facing the biggest rebellion of his premiership over the plans. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Labour loses its way on benefits reform – Politics Weekly UK

After months of speculation, the government will soon lay out plans to change the benefits system. Keir Starmer argues that the current system is ‘the worst of all worlds’. But with deep cuts to disability payments on the table, could the changes come at the expense of the most vulnerable? And will Labour MPs really be able to support this? John Harris hears from the head of social policy at the New Economics Foundation, Tom Pollard, and the Guardian columnist Gaby Hinsliff Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Keir Starmer makes personal plea for Labour MPs to back him on benefits cuts and recalls how his late mother and brother dealt with disabilities

The Prime Minister is engaged in a frantic bid to quell a possible revolt on the Government benches in the House of Commons over welfare reforms.

Economics

6 d. ago Labour MP clashes with Keir Starmer over DWP benefits cuts plan

Prime Minister Keir Starmer faced anger form his own Labour benches at PMQs over reports the Government is planning huge cuts to benefits - including those for disabled people

Politics

6 d. ago Keir Starmer ally hits out at DWP benefit cut plan in rare public criticism

Trades Union Congress General Secretary Paul Nowak warned: 'A major lesson from the Tory years is that austerity damaged the nation’s health. We must not make the same mistake again'

Events

7 d. ago Benefits cuts 'delayed to next week' as Labour MPs revolt over 'rerun of austerity'

Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall had been widely expected to unveil plans as soon as today, with ministers trying to slash £5billion from 'spiralling' benefits costs.

Politics

7 d. ago Starmer denounces benefits system as ‘unsustainable, indefensible and unfair’ in move to slash welfare bill

Keir Starmer has signalled a surprising shift to the right for Labour in attacking the welfare system

Economics

8 d. ago Starmer moves to crush welfare rebellion with speech to Labour MPs

The prime minister has addressed a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) in a bid to calm nerves over Trump and the spring Budget

Politics