Sir Keir Starmer today made a personal plea for Labour MPs to back him on benefits cuts as he recalled 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.
An announcement on measures to slash £5billion from Britain’s spiralling benefits bill had been expected yesterday.
But, amid a furious backlash, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall is now set to unveil the plans early next week following a major operation to win over sceptics.
Labour MPs have been invited into Downing Street for ’round table’ sessions explaining the changes.
The plans are set to include tightening rules on sickness and disability benefits and favouring people who lose jobs over long-term claimants.
Sir Keir faced grumbling at a gathering of Labour MPs and peers in Parliament on Monday night, which saw him argue that Britons are being incentivised not to work.
He is also facing fresh resistance over the welfare reforms from trade unions, with Paul Nowak – the head of the TUC – warning against a return to ‘Tory austerity’.
Sir Keir Starmer today made a personal plea for Labour MPs to back him on benefits cuts as he recalled how his late mother and brother dealt with disabilities.
Late last year, the Prime Minister paid tribute to his ‘wonderful’ younger brother Nick who died on Boxing Day aged 60 after suffering from cancer
Sir Keir pictured with his parents, Rodney and Josephine, at his wedding to wife Victoria in 2007
But Sir Keir lashed out at the current ‘indefensible’ welfare system as he was challenged over potential cuts during Prime Minister’s Questions this afternoon.
He told MPs: ‘I come from a family that dealt with a disability through my mother and brother over many years.
‘So I do understand the concerns that have been raised… but we inherited a system which is broken.
‘It is indefensible, economically and morally, and we must and we will reform it. We will have clear principles, we will protect those who need protecting.
‘We will also support those who can work, back to work, but Labour is the party of work, we’re also the party of equality and fairness.’
The PM has previously spoken of how his mother, who died just two weeks before he was elected as an MP in 2015, battled Still’s Disease for more than 50 years.
The rare and incurable condition causes painful swelling of joints and organs and Josephine Starmer lost the ability to speak and ended up having a leg amputated.
Late last year, Sir Keir paid tribute to his ‘wonderful’ younger brother Nick who died on Boxing Day aged 60 after suffering from cancer.
A recent biography of the PM described how Nick suffered complications during his birth and his subsequent difficulties with learning.
Later in today’s session of PMQs, Sir Keir was told by Labour backbencher Richard Burgon to make the ‘moral’ choice and introduce a wealth tax.
This was instead of ‘making the poor and vulnerable pay’ by cutting benefits for disabled people, the left-wing MP added.
‘Disabled people in my constituency are frightened,’ Mr Burgon told the PM.
‘And they’re frightened because they’re again hearing politicians use the language of tough choices.
‘They know, from bitter experience, when politicians talk about tough choices it means the easy option of making the poor and vulnerable pay.
‘So instead of cutting benefits for disabled people, wouldn’t the moral thing to do, the courageous thing to do, be to make a real tough choice and introduce a wealth tax on the very wealthiest people in our society?’
Sir Keir replied: ‘The party opposite left a broken welfare system, which locks millions out of work, that is indefensible, in my view, economically and morally.
‘Of course, we need to support people who need support, we need to help those who want to work to get back into work, and I think there’s a moral imperative in that.
‘He talks about a wealth tax, we have raised money – the energy profits levy, taxing non-doms, and air passenger duty on private jets.
‘But this isn’t a bottomless pit, and we must kick-start growth to get the economic stability that we need.’
The PM was urged by Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey to calm the fears of disabled people who are unable to work.
‘The PM has rightly spoken about the need to get more people into work, and he repeated that now, so people have more dignity, we can get the economy going, and we can cut the benefits bill after the disgraceful legacy left by the Conservatives,’ Sir Ed said.
‘But does the PM recognise that for many disabled people the best way to help them into work is to support them properly, with more special equipment, with training, with better healthcare and so on.
‘And will he also today calm anxieties that he himself has raised for many of us that the disability benefits for people who simply cannot work will not be cut?’
Sir Keir responded: ‘We will of course support those who need support, but help those who can work into work.
‘They’ll be the guiding principles. But what we’ve inherited is shocking.’
He added: ‘One in eight young people not in education, work or training. That is a lost generation.’
Some opponents are urging Chancellor Rachel Reeves to change her ‘fiscal rules’ to allow more borrowing instead of cutting welfare
Sir Keir is facing fresh resistance over the welfare reforms from trade unions, with Paul Nowak – the head of the TUC – warning against a return to ‘Tory austerity’
No10 will be nervous that dozens of MPs could oppose the Government’s reforms.
Although Labour’s huge majority means Sir Keir can force through measures, a big rebellion would still be damaging.
Some opponents are urging Chancellor Rachel Reeves to change her ‘fiscal rules’ to allow more borrowing instead of cutting welfare.
One MP told Politico’s Playbook that the Government was ‘sleepwalking into a winter fuel allowance, part two’.
They added: ‘They think people will welcome a crackdown on so-called benefit scroungers but instead will find people do not look kindly on vulnerable disabled people having their benefits cut during a cost-of-living crisis.’
Ms Reeves wants to slash £5billion off the benefits bill to help balance the books at her Spring Statement later this month.
Ministers are also looking at longer term reforms designed to curb a health and disability benefits bill forecast to hit £100billion-a-year by the end of the decade.
Addressing Labour MPs behind closed doors on Monday night, the PM said the Government was in a ‘worst of all worlds situation’ with the ‘wrong incentives’.
He said one in eight young people were now not in education, employment or training, adding: ‘That’s unsustainable, it’s indefensible and it is unfair, people feel that in their bones.
‘It runs contrary to those deep British values that if you can work, you should. And if you want to work, the government should support you, not stop you.’
Sir Keir told his MPs that voters ‘want the status quo to be challenged’, as he vowed to be ‘ruthless and bold’ in driving through reforms.
