Continued internal conflict within Labour persists as the government implements benefit reductions, with new revelations highlighting divisions among cabinet members regarding the £5 billion pressure on welfare systems.
This week, Liz Kendall, who serves as the Work and Pensions Secretary, introduced changes that experts claim will result in approximately one million individuals in England and Wales losing their disability benefits.
Both she and Sir Keir Starmer Have subsequently encountered intense criticism regarding these policies, designed to restrict eligibility for Personal Independence Payment and Universal Credit.
Ms. Kendall has justified her attempts to address Britain's escalating welfare costs by pointing out that over 1,000 new Personal Independence Payment awards are granted daily.
And the Financial Times highlighted a 'contentious' Cabinet gathering last week where the Foreign Secretary was present. David Lammy offer a personal example.
It is alleged that he claimed one relative from his expanded family was receiving benefits when they likely shouldn’t have been.
It comes after other reports indicated that senior ministers, including Angela Rayner , Ed Miliband and Lucy Powell — had raised worries about the extent of rebellion regarding welfare issues.
At the same time, a leader of the Labour group on a local council has left the party in opposition to the actions taken.
Pete Lowe, who headed the Labour group on Dudley Council, stated that the welfare reductions marked the 'last straw' during Sir Keir's tenure as the party leader.
In a statement posted to social media, he said: 'Although I have contemplated my future in the party under Sir Keir Starmer's leadership over the last few years, I always believed I could better serve my community from within the Labour Party.
I no longer hold that belief. The national party leaders are not just suppressing voices within the party who advocate for those we were entrusted to represent; they are also targeting the most vulnerable members of our society.
Initially, they targeted the retirees and our children, and now they are setting their sights on the ill, frail, and disabled individuals.
The Labour Party might not have been flawless, yet it consistently provided backing for the working class. Sadly, I now find myself unconvinced that this remains true.
I have overstayed my welcome by trying to influence, alter, and develop Labour policies, yet even my voice was disregarded.
Left-leaning Labour Members of Parliament have openly criticized the welfare reforms in the House of Commons, whereas behind closed doors, opposition to these changes has grown more widespread within the party’s hierarchy.
"I’m beginning to feel like a frog being slowly cooked; it’s one tough choice after another," an anonymous member of parliament shared with the Financial Times.
This isn’t why any of us became Labour MPs," a senior member of parliament also stated. "This isn’t how Labour should be managing the nation.
A typically devoted Member of Parliament stated that the benefit reductions were 'extremely poorly managed' by the party’s leaders.
At Prime Minister's Questions held on Wednesday, seasoned Labour Member of Parliament Diane Abbott informed Sir Keir that his proposals lacked moral grounds.
She informed the Commons: "It is not morally right to reduce benefits for as many as a million individuals."
This isn't about morality; it's about the Treasury wanting to stabilize the nation’s finances at the expense of the poorest and most vulnerable individuals in this society.
But Sir Keir told Ms Abbott it was a 'moral issue' that one in eight young people were not in employment, education or training.
He stated: "I won’t shy away from this issue; it truly astonishes me that one million young individuals find themselves in such circumstances, and I’m not inclined to ignore it and move on."
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