Sir Keir Starmer has told his Cabinet “hard, honest choices” are needed to reform the welfare system in a sign he will seek to push ahead with planned cuts amid a brewing backbench rebellion.
The Prime Minister on Tuesday said the Government must “fix what is broken” in a defiant message after more than 100 Labour MPs signed a Commons bid to stop the changes in their tracks.
Meanwhile Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall, who has already agreed to soften the impact of the welfare Bill to reassure uneasy backbenchers, is “talking to colleagues as to why this reform is so important,” Number 10 said.
Downing Street declined to say whether any Cabinet member expressed concern about the welfare Bill when asked by journalists on Tuesday, insisting it would “never get into details” of the high-level ministerial meeting.
The Cabinet “collectively” supports the Government’s agenda, a Downing Street spokesman said.
In a readout of the meeting on Tuesday, he said: “The Prime Minister opened Cabinet by setting out that the Government has a clear mission to rebuild Britain, fix what is broken and restore hope, and that requires hard, honest choices.
“He said nowhere is that clearer than in the welfare system the Government inherited. He said the system is currently failing people, trapping millions, telling them the only way to get help is to declare they will never work again, and then abandoning them without hope and opportunity.
“The Prime Minister underlined that the Government does not accept that.
“We will reform welfare to provide one to one support to help people try work safely, protect people with lifelong conditions from endless reassessments, and increase the basic level of support for low income families.
“That means the Government will always protect those who can’t work, will provide real opportunity for those who can, and will build a welfare system that’s fair, strong and there for the people who need it for years to come.
“The Work and Pensions Secretary said these reforms are about creating a society rooted in fairness with strong safeguards to protect the most vulnerable. She said there is nothing responsible about denying disabled people who want to work the opportunity and support to do so.”
