UK’s Starmer offers concessions on welfare cuts to quell Labour revolt

LONDON – British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has made concessions to dissenting lawmakers from his Labour Party on planned welfare cuts, two lawmakers said on June 26, as he tries to avoid a damaging parliamentary rebellion at a vote next week.

More than 100 Labour lawmakers opposed Mr Starmer’s welfare reforms, arguing the plans failed to provide support for disabled people and those with long-term health conditions.

Those lawmakers have spearheaded an effort to kill the government’s welfare Bill at the vote on June 24, presenting a potentially major blow to the British leader a year after he won a large majority in Parliament.

One Labour lawmaker, who did not wish to be named, said Mr Starmer had agreed late on the evening of June 26 to change the plans so that the cuts apply only to new welfare claimants, with existing recipients of the so-called Personal Independent Payments remaining unaffected.

The lawmaker said he was still undecided if the changes would convince him to back his plan at the vote.

Mr Starmer’s Downing Street office did not respond to a request for comment.

Any climbdown on welfare by him will be criticised as yet another U-turn from the government, following a reversal in cuts to winter fuel payments and the decision to hold an inquiry into grooming gangs.

The government has argued that cutting the ballooning welfare budget is necessary to shore up the public finances and get more people into work.

Annual spending on incapacity and disability benefits already exceeds the country’s defence budget and is set to top £100 billion (S$175.2 billion) by 2030, according to official forecasts, up from £65 billion now.

Despite Mr Starmer’s concessions, one Labour lawmaker, Mr Peter Lamb, said after learning of the changes that he would vote down the Bill “alone” if necessary.

“To me, it’s insufficient when better options have repeatedly been put forward and ignored,” Mr Lamb said on social media platform X. REUTERS