Starmer Facing Fresh Labour Revolt As Minister Fails To Deny Special Needs Are 'On The Chopping Block'

Stephen Morgan and Wilfred Frost on Sky News.Keir Starmer is on a fresh collision course with Labour MPs amid fears the government is preparing to cut support for children with special educational needs (SEND).The prime minister was forced into an embarrassing climbdown last week over welfare cuts after a backbench revolt.HuffPost UK revealed last month that upcoming reforms to the level of state support given to SEND pupils were also likely to spark opposition from Starmer’s own MPs.At the moment, more than 600,000 of those children rely on education, health and care plans (EHCPs) to access the support they need.But critics say they face the axe as the Treasury seeks to find billions of pounds worth of savings.On Sky News this morning, education minister Stephen Morgan repeatedly refused to deny that EHCPs were under threat.Asked to rule out the move by presenter Wilfred Frost, he said: “We inherited a SEND system that was broken.“I want to make sure that children get the right support where they need it across country and that’s why we have invested £1 billion of additional money in SEND for capital spending in school buildings.”Frost then asked him again: “Are you ruling out removing that benefit?”Morgan replied: “I’m not going to get into the mechanics today.”But the presenter told him: “It’s not the mechanics, it’s a pretty clear question. There’s a benefit that exists for children who have special educational needs. Will that remain?”When Morgan said again that “the system is broken”, Frost said: “So it could be on the chopping block?”The minister said: “I’m not going to get into specifics today, but it’s absolutely right that we work really hard to reform the system to make sure it works for every child.”Dozens of child disability charities and campaigners have written to The Guardian urging the government not to axe EHCPs.No.10 insiders acknowledge that the planned reforms could be even more controversial than the welfare cuts, which were opposed by over 120 Labour MPs.One backbencher told The Times: “The government has got to think again now or they’ll be repeating the same mistake they made with welfare reform.“We’re all in favour of reforming the system but that cannot be driven by saving money and taking support away from children.”Related...Minister Warns Labour Rebels That Watering Down Welfare Cuts Came 'At A Cost'Exclusive: Labour Rebels Set Their Sights On Lifting 2-Child Benefit Cap After Welfare U-TurnStarmer Brutally Mocked After Shambolic Welfare U-Turn: 'Epic Political Mismanagement'

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