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.
Starmer said, “I’m very confident. We were elected in absolutely clearly saying we needed 10 years of national renewal. A decade of national renewal was what we were elected into with a huge majority.
“It is really important that I lead from the front and take the long-term decisions about the future of our country, and that is why we’ve made these defence commitments.
“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’e 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.”
Starmer’s new Pip rules will make it harder for disabled people to claim the benefit which will save £4.1 billion a year and 800,000 will be worse off by £4,500 a year on average.
The governments own research found that 50,000 children and 250,000 people will be thrown into poverty.
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has also said that Starmer’s welfare changes will “trap too many people in poverty,” but the Prime Minister has insisted the government will “press ahead” with the reforms and he said the current welfare system simply is “not working for anyone.”
One Labour insider told MailOnline, “The whole thing is a massive f**k you to Keir and Rachel.
The Prime Minister has been warned that the “sharks are circling” and the vote on the welfare reforms will be treated as a confidence vote.
However, Starmer has hit back saying that the vote next Tuesday is “not a confidence vote” over him being Prime Minister and he will press on getting the reforms voted through.
