Starmer faces MPs' anger over major cuts to welfare

Exclusive PM could see huge rebellion as dozens call on No 10 to rethink

- Pippa Crerar

Keir Starmer could face his biggest rebellion so far with dozens of Labour MPs angry at his plans to cut billions from the rising welfare bill and threatening to vote against freezing disability benefits.

In an attempt to avoid a damaging showdown with MPs and peers, Downing Street began inviting groups of Labour backbenchers to meetings yesterday, stressing the "moral case" for a shake-up designed to get people back to work as ministers made the case for painful changes.

The Guardian understands that dozens of MPs have urged the government to think again. Many are particularly concerned that Rachel Reeves is planning to go further than the Tory chancellor George Osborne, who, despite cutting working-age benefits for four years, kept personal independence payments (Pip) rising.

Some of those in the meetings revealed that No 10 officials appeared to have been taken aback by the scale of the anger, especially from new MPs who have been unstintingly loyal.

Senior government figures have signalled in private conversations that they may still be open to change but any climbdown could leave the chancellor with a fiscal hole to fill.

Government officials believe that freezing Pip would almost certainly require a vote on primary legislation because certain benefits are protected by the Social Security Administration Act 1992, which stipulates that they should rise by the rate of inflation each year.

Given the government's large Commons majority, the chances of it failing to push through its changes to the disability benefit system are low, but some Labour MPs said they would nevertheless struggle to vote for any measures that took money away from the poorest.