Why The Labour Welfare Rebellion Is 'A Massive F*** You To Keir And Rachel'

Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves at a concert to mark the 80th Anniversary of VE Day in London in May.Keir Starmer has probably never been more relieved to be leaving the country.The prime minister is due to arrive at The Hague for a Nato summit on Tuesday afternoon, leaving behind the biggest challenge to his authority since he became prime minister nearly a year ago.More than 100 Labour MPs have signed an amendment to the Universal Credit and Personal Independents Bill which would effectively kill off the government’s plans to cut £5 billion from the welfare budget.If it is chosen by the Speaker, and if the opposition parties decide to support it, the government would be a defeated in next week’s crunch Commons vote. For a PM with a majority of around 165, this would be a massive humiliation.Labour’s whips have gone into overdrive since the amendment, in the name of the highly-respected backbencher Meg Hillier, was published on Monday night.Rebel MPs speak of dark threats of deselection if they vote against the government, while cabinet ministers are preparing to phone up those who they think can be persuaded to fall into line.“It all feels a bit after the fact,” says one veteran MP who has signed the amendment and who has grown weary of the whips’ tactics.The government has even been forced to deny that the bill could be dropped entirely, with a source close to work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall telling HuffPost UK “that’s not the case”.The row is also causing nervousness in the Treasury, which has already banked the £5 billion the cuts are supposed to raise.But there is little sympathy in the Labour Party for Starmer and chancellor Rachel Reeves’ predicament.MPs remain furious over Reeves’ decision to remove winter fuel payments from 10 million pensioners, a move driven by her desire to save money but which proved a disaster on the doorsteps.Many backbenchers feel they have been taken for granted and treated as lobby fodder by Downing Street during the government’s first year in office. That groundswell of anger has, in large part, led to the welfare rebellion.One Labour insider said: “The whole thing is a massive fuck you to Keir and Rachel.”Even more worrying for No.10, the concessions offered so far to the rebels – providing those set to lose their benefits with 13 weeks of money before it is withdrawn – have been rejected.Asked if more changes could be made to address MPs’ concerns, a cabinet minister said: “There already have been and they’ve made no difference.”The prime minister has exactly a week to convince enough of the rebel Labour MPs to set aside their concerns and back the bill.If he fails, it will be a blow to his authority from which he will struggle to recover.Related...Keir Starmer Hit By Labour Rebellion As More Than 100 MPs Try To Block Welfare CutsRevealed: The Tactics Labour's Whips Will Use To Prevent A Huge Rebellion Over Welfare CutsMinister Says Labour Whip Who Quit Over Welfare Cuts Has 'Done The Honourable Thing'

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