30 h. ago PIP applicants issued key advice by former DWP assessor after cut 'delays'

Keir Starmer was forced to delete the entire PIP section from the welfare bill due to a Labour rebellion as claimants have been left unclear and 'confused' about the future of the scheme

Politics

7 d. ago Keir Starmer survives another welfare rebellion amid outrage at DWP disability cuts

Forty five Labour MPs voted against the Government's stripped-down welfare Bill - with backbencher Rachael Maskell branding it a 'stain' on the party

Events

1 week ago Nigel Farage says flaws in Reform UK’s candidate vetting process were not his fault – UK politics live

Farage says any errors in the runup to the 2024 general election cannot be laid at his door as he was not party leader at the timeThe Conservatives will try to change the government’s welfare Bill to tighten up access to personal independence payments (Pip) and universal credit, PA Media reports. PA says:Kemi Badenoch will pledge that the Tories are “now the only party committed to serious welfare reform” after Keir Starmer shelved plans to restrict eligibility for Pip in the face of a backbench revolt this week.The Tories will look to lay amendments to the legislation – set to be renamed the universal credit bill – and party leader Badenoch is due to deliver a speech on welfare on Thursday. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Minister won’t rule out support cuts for children with EHCPs amid Send overhaul – UK politics live

Stephen Morgan, the early education minister, would not confirm every child who has an EHCP would continue to keep the same provisionsThe Conservatives will try to change the government’s welfare Bill to tighten up access to personal independence payments (Pip) and universal credit, PA Media reports. PA says:Kemi Badenoch will pledge that the Tories are “now the only party committed to serious welfare reform” after Keir Starmer shelved plans to restrict eligibility for Pip in the face of a backbench revolt this week.The Tories will look to lay amendments to the legislation – set to be renamed the universal credit bill – and party leader Badenoch is due to deliver a speech on welfare on Thursday. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Starmer outlines plan to shift NHS care from hospitals to new health centres

Prime minister unveils 10-year health plan to ‘put care on people’s doorsteps’ and prevent illness in first placeWes Streeting: My job is to make the NHS fit for the futureThe NHS will shift a huge amount of care from hospitals into new community health centres to bring treatment closer to people’s homes and cut waiting times, Keir Starmer will pledge on Thursday.The prime minister will outline radical plans to give patients in England much easier access to GPs, scans and mental health support in facilities that are open 12 hours a day, six days a week. Continue reading...

Science

2 w. ago The Guardian view on Labour’s welfare rebellion: Starmer must learn from his mistakes | Editorial

A poorly devised cuts policy was mis-sold as reform and MPs were dismissed when they pointed out the problemA clash between the government and Labour MPs over disability benefits was foreseeable long before this week’s Commons rebellion. That doesn’t mean a crisis was inevitable. Compromise might have been reached before the 11th-hour climbdown that averted a defeat in parliament.The conflagration that burned a lot of Sir Keir Starmer’s authority was all the greater because trust had broken down. The twin causes were failure of political judgment in Downing Street and bad policy. The prime minister underestimated the potency of MPs’ objections to the withdrawal of personal independence payment (Pip) from disabled people, and overestimated the capacity of his whips to bully and cajole his party into accepting the changes.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to...

Politics

2 w. ago How Starmer went from defiant to defeated as he scrambled to get his bill over the line

The debacle over the welfare reforms has stripped Keir Starmer of his authority and left his government damaged. David Maddox tracks how the prime minister lost control

Politics

2 w. ago Voices: Only Angela Rayner has emerged from the welfare debacle with her reputation intact

It took the intervention of the deputy prime minister to persuade the prime minister that the game was up – now some Labour MPs are wondering if she’ll replace him, writes John Rentoul

Politics

2 w. ago The Chancellor's teary PMQs: How Rachel Reeves arrived in the Commons with puffy eyes...  before tears rolled down both cheeks and her bottom lip wobbled as she sat by Keir Starmer

The Chancellor's position is under intense scrutiny following the Government's humiliating U-turn on welfare cuts in the face of a rebellion by Labour MPs.

Politics

2 w. ago Rachel Reeves in tears at PMQs as Keir Starmer refuses to confirm she'll remain Chancellor after benefits cuts chaos

Downing Street later insisted that Ms Reeves ‘is going nowhere’ and has Sir Keir’s ‘full backing’

Events

2 w. ago Starmer fails to guarantee chancellor’s future and does not rule out tax rises to fund welfare concessions – UK politics live

Kemi Badenoch tells PM the welfare bill is a ‘pointless waste of time’ after climbdown heads off Labour revoltWelfare bill climbdown will have ‘a cost’ at budget, says ministerOn Wednesday, Angela Rayner sought to reassure people who had been “scared” about the proposed benefits changes, reports the PA news agency.Speaking to ITV’s Lorraine, the deputy prime minister said:Anyone listening to your show today, they know that there will be no changes to their welfare.I want to make sure that people are reassured by that, because a lot of people have been scared about what’s going to happen. Continue reading...

Economics

2 w. ago With a £5bn hole to fill, the true battle on Keir Starmer’s hands is only just beginning

Sir Keir Starmer’s capitulation on welfare cuts has dented his authority and raised questions about his judgment

Economics

2 w. ago With a £5bn hole to fill, the true battle on Keir Starmer’s hands may only just be beginning

Sir Keir Starmer’s capitulation on welfare cuts has dented his authority and raised questions about his judgment

Economics

2 w. ago Welfare cuts chaos: Tax rises loom within months after Keir Starmer's 'shambolic' welfare cuts climbdown

Chancellor Rachel Reeves now faces a fiscal headache as a forecast £4.8billion in welfare savings have been whittled away to nothing

Economics

2 w. ago Welfare cuts chaos: Tax rises 'are more likely' after Keir Starmer's 'shambolic' welfare cuts climbdown

Chancellor Rachel Reeves now faces a fiscal headache as a forecast £4.8billion in welfare savings have been whittled away to nothing

Economics

2 w. ago Keir Starmer hit by new major rebellion as 49 Labour MPs refuse to back his government's welfare cuts

Ministers had taken drastic action as furious MPs lined up in the Commons to attack the plan to make it harder to claim Personal Independence Payments (Pip) and health-related universal credit.

Politics

2 w. ago Disability benefit cuts: Sir Keir Starmer forced to make late concession in biggest Labour rebellion

Sir Keir Starmer was forced to abandon a key plank of his welfare reform agenda to get the legislation through its first Commons test.

Politics

2 w. ago How Labour welfare vote rebellion compares to previous revolts by MPs

Keir Starmer has suffered a blow inflicted by his own Labour MPs, but how does it stack up against previous votes under other prime ministers, including Tony Blair’s controversial policies on university tuition fees and the Iraq war?

Politics

2 w. ago Who IS running the country, Keir? Starmer humbled as Labour rebels force him to gut benefits reforms so they will cost taxpayers MORE instead of saving £5bn

In 12 hours of carnage at Westminster, Keir Starmer's carefully-assembled truce with rebels dramatically disintegrated.

Economics

2 w. ago Starmer survives by skin of his teeth – and here’s what he must do now

Sir Keir Starmer’s weaknesses have been badly exposed in a chaotic debate around his welfare reforms. He needs to start listening to his MPs, notes David Maddox

Events