Sir Keir Starmer has hit back at potential rebels in the Labour Party over his plans to cut the benefits bill, insisting “we have got to get the reforms through.”
MPs will vote in the coming weeks on a package of measures aiming to cut the benefits bill by £5bn by 2030.
The Welfare Reform Bill will include proposals to make it harder for disabled people with less severe conditions to claim Personal Independence Payment, or PIP, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Speaking to reporters, the prime minister said: “We have got to get the reforms through, and I have been clear about that from start to finish.
“The system is not working. It’s not working for those that need support, it’s not working for taxpayers.
“Everybody agrees it needs reform, we have got to reform it and that is what we intend to do.”
Last week, ministers sought to reassure nervy Labour MPs by introducing a transition period for those whose benefits are being withdrawn.
Dozens of Labour MPs have expressed concerns about the plans to cut Pip payments and the sickness-related element of Universal Credit.
Many have said they are prepared to vote against the primary legislation the government needs to pass to make the changes to welfare payments.
The welfare package as a whole could push an extra 250,000 people, including 50,000 children, into relative poverty, according to the government’s impact assessment.
Asked if there could be further concessions, Sir Keir said he was determined to press ahead with the changes:
“The principles remain the same, those who can work should work.
“Those who need support in to work should have that support in to work which I don’t think they are getting at the moment.
“Those who are never going to be able to work should be properly supported and protected. And that includes not being reassessed and reassessed.
“So they are the principles, we need to do reform and we will be getting on with that reform when the Bill comes.”