Sir Keir Starmer could be staring down the barrel of a major rebellion in Parliament, with more than 100 Labour MPs now opposing his government’s plans to slash welfare support. What started as a 42-MP revolt has ballooned into a force of around 140, threatening to wipe out the Prime Minister’s working majority in a crunch vote due next month.
At the heart of the backlash are cuts to the health component of Universal Credit. The group is demanding a full and proper assessment of how the changes will affect disabled people. And while ministers have promised to listen to concerns, many MPs aren’t convinced, reported GB News.
With the Government’s working majority sitting at 165, just 83 Labour MPs need to break ranks for the plans to collapse — a number the growing opposition is edging dangerously close to.
Though ministers are trying to play it down, reportedly confident the rebellion will ultimately shrink to a dozen MPs, the mood within the party says otherwise. This isn’t just noise from the backbenches — it’s becoming a serious problem for Starmer.
And it doesn’t stop at welfare. Tensions are flaring elsewhere too, after the Prime Minister’s recent comments about migration — describing the UK as in danger of becoming an “island of strangers” — were met with outrage from the party’s left and beyond. Some critics have even drawn comparisons to Enoch Powell’s infamous “Rivers of Blood” speech, a line no leader wants associated with their name.
Adding fuel to the fire, Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy hit out at plans to retroactively enforce Indefinite Leave to Remain rules, warning it could trigger another scandal like Windrush. “Retrospectively applying immigration rules in bad faith can ruin lives,” she said. “It would be irresponsible for the Government to pull the rug out from under people who have worked, paid taxes and built their lives here.”
But the government’s not backing down. Treasury Minister Emma Reynolds made it clear Labour has no plans to shift course, despite the noise. “The Government has set out our plans, and we will continue to discuss them with backbenchers,” she said. “Government is always about those discussions with colleagues… That’s the normal business of the Government. That’s what governments do.”
Starmer and his Cabinet remain defiant for now, but with a growing number of MPs refusing to stay quiet, this showdown over welfare could end up being one of the first real tests of his leadership in office.
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