'Has He Got A Grip?': Naga Munchetty Skewers Minister After Starmer's Welfare U-Turn

Naga Munchetty and Stephen Kinnock on BBC Breakfast.Naga Munchetty asked a Labour minister if Keir Starmer has “got a grip” after he was forced into a humiliating U-turn over welfare cuts.The BBC Breakfast presenter confronted Stephen Kinnock after he praised the prime minister for “running towards” problems.Starmer struck a deal with rebel Labour MPs on Thursday night which will see the government water down its plans to cut £5 billion from the benefits system.No.10 hopes the concessions will be enough to stave off an embarrassing defeat when the plans are voted on by MPs next Tuesday.In the past month, the PM has also performed U-turns on winter fuel payments and a national inquiry into grooming gangs.Health minister Kinnock told Munchetty: “What we have in Keir Starmer is a prime minister who doesn’t put change and reform into the ‘too difficult’ box, he actually runs towards it and says ‘right, how do we fix this’?“We have that mandate to do that as a Labour government and I’m sure that’s what will be foremost in people’s minds on Tuesday.”But Munchetty told him: “After three U-turns in a month, you have a party leader who you say is running towards change, but getting it wrong.“You [said] you’re proud of the MPs who stood up for their constituents. They know what people want from the Labour Party and what constituents are saying to them, but you’ve got a prime minister who you say is running towards change, but three times has had to U-turn.“Has he got a grip on exactly what your party expects in terms of policy?”Kinnock replied: “If you go out there into the country and talk to the public, the public really appreciate it when politicians listen and engage and take action, and that is what this prime minister and this government does.”Related...Keir Starmer's Authority In Tatters After Humiliating U-Turn On Welfare CutsKeir Starmer Agrees Deal With Rebel Labour MPs In Huge Climbdown On Welfare CutsKeir Starmer Hit By Fresh Blow As Labour Rebellion Against Welfare Cuts Grows

Comments

Breaking news

'We have nowhere to go': Protests over School of Art decision to close studio

The Herald

Bondi claims DOJ is reviewing ‘tens of thousands’ of videos of Epstein with children, but no one seems to know what they are

29 minutes ago

Starmer ditches Pip benefit reforms in face of Labour revolt

Independent

King Charles appears in his element as he joyfully greets guests at Palace of Holyroodhouse garden party alongside Queen Camilla and Princess Anne

38 minutes ago

Dailymail

Moment Border Force agents smash people smuggling ring as they arrest Gambian national in terraced family home 'who helped launder £3m in profits'

38 minutes ago

I live with my new husband and ex to save money... here's how we make it work

Dailymail

Comments

Breaking news

'We have nowhere to go': Protests over School of Art decision to close studio

Woman pulls out huge knife and lunges at young reveller in London park

Man charged with murder and ‘child destruction’ after pregnant mum found dead

Keir Starmer Hit By Major Labour Rebellion As MPs Back His Welfare Bill

Florida cooperation with immigration enforcement sparks fears people will disappear into jails

Woman charged in Vermont border agent's death seeks 6-month delay in death penalty decision

Did Trump nab his Hannibal Lecter? At ‘Alligator Alcatraz’, Kristi Noem says ICE ‘detained a cannibal’

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

Eggs-cellent news! Waffle House drops egg surcharges after prices fall

Mexican banks face cascading consequences following US sanctions

Years after problems with Flint’s water emerged, the town has finally replaced all of its lead pipes

Rattled Starmer scrapes through on welfare reform after last-minute concession to rebel MPs

DOE withholds billions from school for teacher training and afterschool programs in districts as it looks to trim agency

New study suggests common assumption about aging could be wrong

What the key witnesses at Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking trial told the jury

Jennifer Aniston will star in series inspired by Jennette McCurdy's memoir 'I'm Glad My Mom Died'

Starmer abandons key welfare reforms in face of Labour revolt

Bondi claims DOJ is reviewing ‘tens of thousands’ of videos of Epstein with children, but no one seems to know what they are

Starmer ditches Pip benefit reforms in face of Labour revolt

Scot cops attend 'unexplained' death as officers lock down Glasgow street

Young boy left concussed after being attacked by teenager outside Glasgow McDonald's

MPs back watered-down welfare reforms after 11th-hour PIP U-turn

WH Smith bids goodbye after over 200 year legacy as shoppers furious over rebrand

Police uncover Scotland's largest cannabis farm to date worth £12 million

Blantyre couple celebrate diamond wedding

Wildfire heroes in action as part-time firefighters pictured tackling blazes

How did your MP vote on Labour's welfare bill?

How much do tennis players earn in prize money at Wimbledon?

UK records hottest day of year so far - as 40C highs close schools in Europe

Starmer survives rebellion as welfare cuts pass key vote

Keir Starmer suffers biggest rebellion yet on watered-down DWP benefit cuts

Santander agrees £2.65bn TSB takeover sparking job loss and branch closure fears

Brit found dead in Arizona named 12 years later after scientific breakthrough

See how your MP voted on DWP welfare bill after Keir Starmer's massive U-turn

Mum killed in alleged Leicester attack by driver who flipped his car pictured

Welfare bill passes crunch vote after dramatic PIP U-turn - what you need to know

Weary Ben Affleck shows strain of househunting amid search for pad near ex Jennifer Garner

RFK Jr. drops autism bombshell on Tucker Carlson as he says he's found the 'leading culprit'

Famous televangelist Jimmy Swaggart dies at age 90

Pictured: 'Beautiful and vibrant' mother, 56, who died after she was 'murdered by BMW driver'

Mother made four ambulance calls and had 90-minute wait before son died in hospital from sepsis, inquest hears

Meghan Markle's As Ever wine goes on sale for wild price per bottle... but it is already SOLD OUT

Katy Perry gets STUCK in flying metal sphere and nearly falls out mid-air... after crying amid Orlando Bloom split

King Charles appears in his element as he joyfully greets guests at Palace of Holyroodhouse garden party alongside Queen Camilla and Princess Anne

Moment Border Force agents smash people smuggling ring as they arrest Gambian national in terraced family home 'who helped launder £3m in profits'

I live with my new husband and ex to save money... here's how we make it work

Toddler found dead 'after being forgotten' in car in Spain during 35C afternoon as heatwave grips Europe

Doctor issues terrifying warning to plane passengers who wear common clothing item on flights

JASON GROVES analysis: After describing welfare reform as a 'moral imperative', Sir Keir has all but abandoned it...

Daughter splashed £38,000 stolen from dementia-suffering dad on holidays

What is Diddy’s life like in jail?

Fireworks to light up July 4 skies: Here’s the cities that will have the best view - and the duds that will be rainouts

All the states where minimum wage will rise in July

Not feeling national pride this 4th of July? You’re not alone

Abuser, cheater, charmer: Diddy’s trial revealed the many faces of the ‘freak-off’-loving impresario

Why families of Bryan Kohberger’s alleged victims might never find out what really happened the night of the murders

Al-Qaida-linked group claims attack against Mali army position near Senegal

Research points to intermittent fasting as one of the more effective restrictive diets

Disabled Labour MP breaks down in tears over party’s welfare cuts

Mysterious packages featuring a picture of Yosemite Sam — and containing cocaine — washed ashore along a Florida beach