Keir Starmer has admitted that his government “didn’t get the process right” in the handling of its package of welfare reforms.
The prime minister conceded that “it matters to” Labour MPs to ensure the process is correct and that his government “didn’t engage” in the way it should have done.
The welfare bill, officially the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill, cleared its first big hurdle in the House of Commons on Tuesday evening with 335 votes in favour versus 260 against.
That came after ministers granted major concessions to Labour MPs in order to avoid defeat at second reading and a mass rebellion.
Hours before MPs were set to vote on the government’s welfare proposals, disability minister Sir Stephen Timms told the commons that changes to restrict eligibility for the Personal Independence Payment (Pip) will be delayed until after a review of the disability benefit — instead of coming into force in November 2026 as set out in the bill.
This major concession meant that almost all of the £4.6 billion of annual savings the bill was meant to deliver have been lost.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4‘s Political Thinking podcast, Starmer reflected: “We didn’t get the process right. Labour MPs are absolutely vested in this.
“It matters to them to get things like this right, and we didn’t get that process right.”
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The prime minister acknowledged the government “didn’t engage in the way that we should have done” with Labour rebels, adding that the last few days have been “tough”. But he said his party would “come through it stronger”.
Starmer said: “I’m not going to pretend the last few days have been easy, they’ve been tough.
“I’m the sort of person that then wants to reflect on that, to ask myself what do we need to ensure we don’t get into a situation like that again, and we will go through that process.
“But I also know what we will do and that’s we will come through it stronger.”
The prime minister also guaranteed the future of Rachel Reeves as chancellor after an extraordinary session of PMQs was overtaken by images of her crying.
Starmer insisted he and Reeves are “in lockstep”.
Asked if she would remain in government, the PM said: “She’s done an excellent job as chancellor and we have delivered inward investment to this country in record numbers.”
He added: “She has done a fantastic job. She and I work together, we think together.
“In the past, there have been examples — I won’t give any specifics — of chancellors and prime ministers who weren’t in lockstep. We’re in lockstep.”
Asked if he would guarantee Reeves’ future as chancellor, Starmer added: “She will be chancellor for a very long time to come because this project that we have been working on to change the Labour Party, win the election and change the country, that is a project which the chancellor and I have been working on together.”
Josh Self is editor of Politics.co.uk, follow him on Bluesky here and X here.
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