New Labour MP breaks ranks over ‘devastating’ welfare cuts

Published

4 months ago

March 19, 2025

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A Labour MP has broken ranks over the government’s £5bn benefit cuts, saying they will have a “devastating” impact on coastal communities like his.

Chris Webb, the newly elected MP for Blackpool South, said the measures announced by the work and pensions secretary on Tuesday were “not what any of us stood on in the manifesto”.

Politics live: Has shine come off Labour?

He told Sky News the government had “forgotten” coastal communities like Blackpool, which has the lowest male life expectancy in Britain and where nearly half of children live in poverty.

Mr Webb, who is the first of Labour’s new 2024 MPs to publicly criticise the reforms, said he was concerned they had been “rushed” to coincide with the timing of next week’s spring statement – echoing criticism from Tory shadow chancellor Mel Stride.

And he warned Liz Kendall’s welfare changes – in particular the tightening of the eligibility criteria for one of the main types of benefit, personal independence payments (PIP) – could push more children below the breadline.

“This is a devastating blow for people already using food banks, already waiting for mental health support,” he said.

“And in places like these coastal towns that have been forgotten these past 14 years, there just isn’t the jobs to get these people back into work.”

Claimants in limbo until spring statement

Addressing MPs in the Commons yesterday, Ms Kendall said the government would not freeze PIP, as reports had previously suggested, but would tighten the eligibility criteria.

It’s unclear how many people will be impacted, with the Office for Budget Responsibility’s full costings report not due until the spring statement on 26 March.

Ministers have said as well as providing much-needed savings, there is a moral case for cuts, as one in eight young people are not in education, training, or employment.

But Mr Webb said without the necessary mental health support, it would be difficult for young people to find the employment they are being encouraged to take up – with waiting lists reaching between 18 months and two years.

He also argued jobs had been prioritised in the South East and Manchester, with “nothing for coastal communities”.

‘This will make people worse off’

While Mr Webb said he understood the need to make savings, he believed this could be done via other means.

He suggested a wealth tax, and following Germany in approving a change to constitutional borrowing rules to allow much more defence spending.

“If you’re saying a young person needs to get to work, I don’t see a plan where that mental support will increase in time,” he said.

“These changes aren’t going to be enacted until 2028/29, so there may be a plan alongside this to do it – but at the minute, I’m not convinced by that, and this will make people in my constituency worse off.

“If I’m to support these measures, I need to see a clear strategy so that I can tell my constituents, my friends, my neighbours, and family – there is something coming.”

Politics

Another tantrum from the Labour backbenches is inevitable

Published

4 hours ago

July 6, 2025

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Rachel Reeves hints at tax rises in autumn budget after welfare bill U-turn

In common with many parents across the country, here’s a conversation that I have with my young daughter on a semi-regular basis (bear with me, this will take on some political relevance eventually).

Me: “So it’s 15 minutes until your bedtime, you can either have a little bit of TV or do a jigsaw, not both.”

Daughter: “Ummmm, I want to watch TV.”

Me: “That’s fine, but it’s bed after that, you can’t do a jigsaw as well.”

Fast-forward 15 minutes.

Me: “Right, TV off now please, bedtime.”

(Pause)

Daughter: “I want to do a jigsaw.”

Now replace me with the government, the TV and jigsaw options with axing welfare cuts and scrapping the two-child cap, and my daughter with rebellious backbenchers.

Politics latest: Former Labour leader calls for wealth tax on assets above £10m

That is the tension currently present between Downing Street and Labour MPs. And my initial ultimatum is the messaging being pumped out from the government this weekend.

In essence: you’ve had your welfare U-turn, so there’s no money left for the two-child cap to go as well.

As an aside – and before my inbox fills with angry emails lambasting me for using such a crude metaphor for policies that fundamentally alter the lives of some of the most vulnerable in society – yes, I hear you, and that’s part of my point.

For many in Labour, this approach feels like the lives of their constituents are being used in a childish game of horse-trading.

So what can be done?

Well, the government could change the rules.

Altering the fiscal rules is – and will likely remain – an extremely unlikely solution. But as it happens, one of Labour’s proverbial grandparents has just popped round with a different suggestion.

A wealth tax, Lord Neil Kinnock says, is the necessary outcome of the economic restrictions the party has placed on itself.

Ever the Labour storyteller, Lord Kinnock believes this would allow the government to craft a more compelling narrative about whose side this administration is on.

That could be valuable, given one of the big gripes from many backbench critics is that they still don’t really understand what this prime minister stands for – and by extension, what all these “difficult decisions” are in aid of.

The downside is whether it will actually raise much money.

The super-rich may have lots of assets to take a slice from, but they also have expensive lawyers ready to find novel ways to keep their client’s cash away from the prying eyes of the state.

Or, of course, they could just leave – as many are doing already.

In the short term, the future is a bit easier to predict.

If Downing Street is indeed now saying there is no money to scrap the two-child cap (after heavy briefing in the opposite direction just weeks ago), an almighty tantrum from the backbenches is inevitable.

And as every parent knows, the more you give in, the harder it becomes to hold the line.

Politics

UK restores diplomatic ties with Syria

Published

10 hours ago

July 6, 2025

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The UK has re-established diplomatic ties with Syria, David Lammy has said, as he made the first visit to the country by a British minister for 14 years.

The foreign secretary visited Damascus and met with interim president Ahmed al Sharaa, also the leader of the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), and foreign minister Asaad al Shaibani.

It marks the latest diplomatic move since Bashar al Assad’s regime was toppled by rebel groups led by HTS in December.

In a statement, Mr Lammy said a “stable Syria is in the UK’s interests” and added: “I’ve seen first-hand the remarkable progress Syrians have made in rebuilding their lives and their country.

“After over a decade of conflict, there is renewed hope for the Syrian people.

“The UK is re-establishing diplomatic relations because it is in our interests to support the new government to deliver their commitment to build a stable, more secure and prosperous future for all Syrians.”

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has also announced a £94.5m support package for urgent humanitarian aid and to support the country’s long-term recovery, after a number of British sanctions against the country were lifted in April.

While HTS is still classified as a proscribed terror group, Sir Keir Starmer said last year that it could be removed from the list.

The Syrian president’s office also said on Saturday that the president and Mr Lammy discussed co-operation, as well as the latest developments in the Middle East.

Since Assad fled Syria in December, a transitional government headed by Mr al Sharaa was announced in March and a number of western countries have restored ties.

In May, US President Donald Trump said the United States would lift long-standing sanctions on Syria and normalise relations during a speech at the US-Saudi investment conference.

He said he wanted to give the country “a chance at peace” and added: “There is a new government that will hopefully succeed.

“I say good luck, Syria. Show us something special.”

Politics

Secret Service seizes $400M in crypto, cold wallet among world’s largest

Published

12 hours ago

July 6, 2025

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Secret Service seizes 0M in crypto, cold wallet among world’s largest

Secret Service quietly amasses one of the world’s largest crypto cold wallets with $400 million seized, exposing scams through blockchain sleuthing and VPN missteps.