I can't believe we're back here again. Another Labour leader, another welfare showdown that's left me questioning what the hell happened to teh party of the working class. Starmer's facing what might be the biggest rebellion of his leadership, and honestly? I'm not surprised.
More than 100 Labour MPs are now in open revolt against their own PM over his plans to slash Universal Credit health payments and tighten disability benefit rules. The scale of this rebellion is staggering.
Starmer's "My Way or the Highway" Moment
Yesterday, Sir Keir basically told his MPs to shut up and fall in line. His exact words? "The argument for reform is overwhelming and that's why we will get on and we will reform." Translation: I don't care what you think, we're doing this anyway.
The PM insists the current system is "not working for anybody" – a line that feels suspiciously like something George Osborne might have said circa 2012. God. Remember when Labour MPs were outraged by Tory welfare cuts? Now they're implementing them.
What's Actually Getting Slashed?
The DWP has confirmed that over 150,000 people on benefits will see their payments cut under the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) changes. From November 2026, the assessment criteria will change dramatically.
Here's where it gets cruel.
If you can use a microwave but not cook properly? Sorry, no help for you. Need reminding to use the toilet but don't need physical help? Tough luck. Can wash your upper body but struggle with your lower body? You're on your own, pal.
By 2029/30, around 800,000 people won't receive the Daily Living Component of PIP. That's £110.40 a week gone. And another 150,000 will lose Carer's Allowance or the Universal Credit Carer's Element because the person they care for no longer qualifies.
The Rebellion Letter That Has No.10 Sweating
In what has to be one of the most direct challenges to Starmer's leadership, these MPs sent a blistering letter to the Chief Whip saying: "We regret we are unable to support a Bill before this has taken place."
What they're demanding is proper impact assessments. Not unreasonable, right? Let's actually figure out who's going to suffer before we make them suffer.
If all the MPs who signed follow through, it would wipe out Starmer's majority. No wonder Labour HQ is panicking.
The Veiled Threats Begin...
A Labour source (and I'd love to know who) has started making thinly veiled threats against rebellious MPs. They told me: "There is only going to be so much money, time and resources at the next election. How people behave now will make a difference to how those resources are allocated."
I spoke to a Red Wall Labour MP last night who was livid. "Multiple colleagues with slim majorities think they have no chance of winning their seat," they said. "They want to hold the PM to account on issues causing an uproar locally, including PIP payments, and think they have nothing to lose if they defy party whips going forward."
Nothing Left to Lose
There's something else happening here that's fascinating. Some moderate Labour MPs believe they're already toast at the next election thanks to Reform UK's rise. So they're planning to rebel on disability cuts, immigration and winter fuel payments – even if it means losing the whip.
As one MP put it to me over a hasty coffee yesterday: "A lot of our politics was defined by the performative cruelty of the Osborne era, and that casts a long shadow."
Another confided: "I think people shouldn't underestimate just how much welfare is a driver of why a lot of Labour MPs, particularly moderates, are in the Labour party in the first place."
They want to work "with a clear conscience" until parliament ends. What a concept.
Is This Labour's Breaking Point?
Back in 2019, I watched Labour MPs campaign on protecting the vulnerable and ending austerity. Five years later, they're implementing cuts that would make even some Tories wince.
The two-child benefit cap is still in place. PIP is being gutted. Universal Credit health elements slashed.
I remember chatting with a Labour activist in 2022 who told me, "If we ever get in power and start cutting disability benefits, I'm done." Wonder how she's feeling now.
This isn't just a policy disagreement – it's an identity crisis for a party that used to define itself by protecting the vulnerable.
And Starmer better realize quickly: MPs with nothing left to lose are the most dangerous kind.
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Did you miss our previous article...
https://hellofaread.com/money/forget-working-harder-its-all-about-working-smarter-and-maybe-having-a-life-too
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