Sir Keir Starmer has been left bracing for the biggest rebellion of his premiership over his plans to “take a sledgehammer” to Britain’s benefits bill.
The Prime Minister, who stripped the whip from seven Labour MPs over their two-child benefit cap revolt last summer, is looking to free up funds to cover his £13.4billion surge in defence spending.
However, the decision puts 80 Labour MPs on the cusp of staging a rebellion in the House of Commons.
After speaking to prominent Labour rebels, one MP told The Telegraph: “The first thing they’ve said to me after a few minutes saying how things are going is: ‘I’m going to give the Government a slap, I’ve had enough, I don’t know what it will be, but I’m at the end of my tether. I need to show my constitutents, I need to show people that I have my own brain, that I’m not going to suck up all of this.”
Addressing Starmer’s slight boost in the polls over his handling of events in Ukraine, the MP also claimed the “electorate is fickle” and warned that “this isn’t going to be his Falklands moment”.
Despite Reform UK’s civil war erupting over the weekend, Labour MPs remain concerned about disaffected voters heading towards either the populist party or the Greens.
York Central MP Rachael Maskell openly addressed the fears held by potential Labour rebels, claiming that “taking a sledgehammer to benefits” is “not the right approach”.
The potential cuts to Department for Work & Pensions expenditure puts further pressure on Liz Kendall just months after the Government axed Winter Fuel Payments and refused to cover compensation payments for Waspi women.
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Rupert Lowe hosted glitzy Reform donor dinner just hours before being ‘thrown under bus’ with police probe
Rupert LowePA
Rupert Lowe hosted a glitzy dinner for potential Reform donors just hours before the Great Yarmouth MP was reported to police, it has emerged.
Lowe, who was suspended by the populist party amid allegations of serious bullying and threats of violence on Friday, was at the fundraising event alongside Reform treasurer Nick Candy.
The pair were schmoozing with prospective backers at the exclusive private dining club Oswald’s in Mayfair.
Lowe headed to the donor dinner just hours after sitting down for an interview with The Daily Mail.