The Prime Minister has been warned by the former Work & Pensions Secretary Lord David Blunkett that he is facing a “humiliating” no confidence vote should he lose next week’s vote on cutting benefits for disabled people.
Lord Blunkett has advised that Starmer should delay next weeks vote on cutting benefits until the autumn so he can try and reach a compromise.
“If they lost it, they’d have to go for a vote of confidence, I think,” Lord Blunkett told LBC.
“But the embarrassment of that one year in leaves you with two problems.
“One is you’ve been humiliated, and the second is you’ve still got the problem. The welfare issue has not gone away.
“So, solving the problem, not taking the hit, is the sensible solution.”
Blunkett added, “Keir Starmer, for very understandable reasons, has been diverted onto the international agenda.
“I think he now needs to come back from Holland and be absolutely focused on this.”
The Prime Minister’s right hand man Morgan McSweeney has been blamed for the debacle including Starmer.
A Labour MP told The Times, “It’s so depressing to think Keir and Morgan did all that work to cleanse the party of this self-indulgent rubbish, only for it to erupt back.
The Prime Minister has said on Wednesday that he is “very confident” his proposals for the welfare bill will go through despite being hit with a massive rebellion.
Sir Keir Starmer will continue to push through his proposal and it will be voted on next week and he will take on the Labour rebels directly.
More than 120 Labour MPs will oppose Starmer’s plan that will affect 800,000 disabled people who are on personal independent payment (Pip) which will put people into poverty.
Starmer was asked will reverse his decision-making cuts to disability benefits, he said, “We are living in a more volatile world. I think everybody in the country accepts that.
“We’ve had to rise to that challenge, and it is right that we set it out over a number of years so we get the trajectory right and the balance right, and that’s what we’re doing.
“That’s what I’m committed to doing. That’s what I’m committed to seeing through, because that is the fundamental duty of the Prime Minister.”
Asked over speculation that he could be forced to resign as Prime Minister, he said he is “very confident” he will be at the helm at the next General Election.
Leave a Comment