‘They didn’t think we’d have the guts’: How Labour rebels forced the government’s welfare U-turn | Labour

The Conservative Shadow Minister seemed more cheerful than any point of 12 months since the general election. “How did they get into such a confusion?” They asked. “What will they do?”

The answer was a few days later when Keir Starmer and his ministers made a series of emergency concessions in the flagship welfare reform programs to prevent the voting of the program in the House of Commons.

U -turns of various species are inevitable in the government; Skill lies in how elegant you can make them. And this week, the final cave to withdraw the labor force print, which was officially announced by a Downing Street statement after midnight Thursday, was really scattered.

How did it happen to return to the cheerful query of the Minister of Shadow? The narrative will depend on to whom you ask. However, at the age of 10, even a common issue, a government idea, a concern from his own deputies is intercribed.

In March, it was clear that there were many Backbencher concerns about the elements of the plan, from the moment Liz Kendall first identified advisory proposals to overhaul welfare payments.

In particular, the green article has revealed an important tightening of suitability for personal independence payments (PIPs), which helps those with long -term illness or disabled, but also among the deputies, but also many charities.

However, more than 150 Commons, equipped with majority, and some MPs, which increasingly feel like a Christ insistence on a social security system that was increasingly unauthorized.

“This was due to an arrogance from the top,” a senior Labor Party deputy said. “On the day of the green paper, the whips were saying that they thought that a maximum of 10 people would actually rebel. They were laughing at us.

“They didn’t think that no one would have the courage to the new purchase. But they [new Labour MPs] They do their own organizations. “

As it is understood, there were many organizations from all over the Parliamentary Party. Starmer was greatly busy with other issues, including a change in the G7 Summit in Canada and, of course, on a national investigation into the grooming gangs, while deputies were taking action.

The Crunch point came on Monday with the publication of a change aimed at killing the welfare bill in his second reading in Commons on July 1. Initially, 108 workers were signed by deputies and soon received more than 120 support.

These were not primarily from the left to the mulConents from the left – the maximum of 10 10 ”that despises the party by whip. The signatures included a number of senior Backbencher and many 2024 entry deputies challenging the distinguished committees.

When they thought that they were once called “Starmtroopers ,, the new Backbenchers, who were selected by dozens of hand, found themselves in a year on the verge of a rebellion that could defeat the government?

For many, the problem is based on the first days of the parliament and is based on a kind of vicious discipline that caused seven deputies to be suspended by one vote on the border of the Labor Party. Three of these deputies are being exiled today.

Even loyal deputies were at all under the ordered not to make changes – or to make their views open to the public on any subject. “It was like student politics,” he said. “Keep your mouth closed and maybe let the entertainment committee.”

The word “arrogant” MPS uses the most important. Undoubtedly, and the assumption of the Blithe would endure any rebellion that sent many of the rebellion aside.

“They tried to treat PLP [parliamentary Labour party] Like naughty children, a deputy said.

Another accusation within the party is that even when the hierarchy recognizes unrest, the response tends to be either peace of mind or bungling threats.

MPs defined them limited to presentations and graphs showing the increasing dimension of the aid budget to them, and increases in numbers in the PIP.

“We wanted to see the Prime Minister or the Chancellor and made a presentation from the authorities,” he said. “They were very, very contemporary.”

MPs say that they receive a threat Lani, including the possibility of a general election. People to the right of the party were warned that their actions could bring a challenge of leadership to be won by Angela Rayner. The same threat was made for people on the left, but as a ghost approaching with Wes Street.

Others say that they receive covered election threats or whether their funds make the line for the next general election. A party official was allegedly stole his husband of a rebellious deputy to get him back.

“I don’t even think that some of them have been sanctioned by 10,” a deputy said. “Until Wednesday, their fingers had in their ears. But those responsible for the party administration are definitely losing.”

After the results of the change on Monday became clear, social assistance efforts started. Even Rachel Reeves, a chancellor, gained a rare look at Commons Terrace on Wednesday evening to try to convince MPs on a glass of Rosé. “He does not want to have £ 5 billion out of his pocket,” he said.

Nevertheless, the number of rebels continued to grow, and finally no 10 of them focused on the inevitable. On Thursday morning, the Prime Minister used a seemingly Commons on international relations to rethink a prosperity.

Until this point, Starmer seemed strangely separated from this issue, as he called the rebellion questions or “voices ,, as he called it, he appeared intermittently for the bat, distraction of a vital task of transforming prosperity.

Some MPs see this as a prime minister’s statistics that he has only voted seven times seven times since a prime minister’s winning the election, as a sign of the parliamentary works more than the daily grille of the daily grille.

A few of them began to speculate what the situation meant for Starmer’s leadership. “Very bad for Keir. One of four deputies [that intended to rebel]. Toast, a deputy said.

However, most of the anger was directed to Starmer’s Chief of General Staff Morgan Mcsweeney and the PM team called “over -growing men”.

In No 10, there was a determination to force the reforms through reforms that support reforms when partially internal polling and context was explained.

A consultant, a close ally of the Prime Minister, decided that the vote should continue – the concessions or not – the symbolism of the government’s agenda through Commons was very important.

“This is a very moderate reform,” the advisor said. “If the government cannot achieve this modest savings – in a change that will not affect nine of the 10 people who have already benefited – then how can we follow the political program we need to make the difficult decisions of the country?”

Other counselors are angry about the situation they found. “These people are preparing to throw a majority, because people are a little rough for them on Twitter,” he said.

Another said: “Just wait and see what will happen if they overthrow Morgan. Then. Finito. Then we can give the keys to Farage.”

However, other consultants in the government say they can see that no 10 is playing wrong. One said, “A surprising failure of the so -called political administration on PLP, which has an iron grip on PLP ..

However, for many workers’ deputies, it is not more complex than a government machine that forgets how to rest.

“Everything that the government has noticed at the moment is something that MPS has been saying for months,” a deputy said. “The fact that you cannot defend these cuts will put people to work. The fact that you cannot guarantee the most disabled people will not be worse.

“MPs are not stupid. We deserve to rest. We waited for this failure. Now they’re in this mess, because they’re too arrogant to listen.”