Why Keir Starmer is braced for the biggest rebellion of his premiership
Last week, Keir Starmer infamously dismissed the protests of his MPs concerned about the government’s flagship welfare bill as mere “noises off”. Such criticisms, the prime minister’s telling implied, reflected the inevitable but manageable friction generated by far-reaching reform. As had been the case during his tenure in opposition, the revolt reinforced his resolve. Starmer […]
Latest: 39 Labour MPs sign new amendment to block welfare cuts
Ministers had hoped that a series of concessions would have been to win over Labour rebels when MPs vote on welfare changes.
Latest: 127 Labour MPs sign amendment to block welfare cuts
If passed, the amendment would kill the government’s plans to save £5 billion a year by overhauling the welfare system.
Senior Labour MP calls for fiscal rules to be revised ahead of Starmer grilling
It’s the last day of term here in Westminster, with MPs set to head off for Easter recess this afternoon. The House will return on 22 April with campaigning ahead of the local elections in full swing. Having chaired cabinet this morning, Keir Starmer is due for the usual pre-recess Q&A at the liaison committee […]
HS2 now ‘very poor value for money’ after northern leg scrapped, MPs say
The government’s plan to build HS2 between London and Birmingham will be “very poor value for money” after the northern leg to Manchester was scrapped, according to a report from parliament’s spending watchdog. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which scrutinises government spending, found there are “many uncertainties” in the assessment that it was better to […]
‘The DWP’s excuses for benefit fraud don’t stand up’
‘Unacceptable secrecy’ surrounding Parliament restoration plans
In a report today the House of Commons public accounts committee (PAC) complains that there is an “unacceptable cloak of secrecy” surrounding plans to restore the Houses of Parliament. The report says progress on the restoration and renewal of Parliament is “unacceptably slow” with the “likely start date for major works pushed back by many […]
Unpaid child maintenance mounting with ‘no long-term strategy’ but write-offs
10 years since it replaced the previous agency, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) say the Child Maintenance Service is “achieving no more” than its discredited predecessor. The replacement of the Child Support Agency left billions of pounds of unpaid child maintenance debt remaining from its schemes written off. Around half of children in separated families […]
MPs say rising deficits spell trouble for universities while Blair backs expansion
Higher education providers face long-term, systemic, pressures on their financial sustainability and viability, with the proportion of providers with an in-year deficit having increased in every one of the past four years. This has risen from 5 per cent in the 2015 to 2016 academic year, to 32 per cent in 2019-20. Against this backdrop […]
Ministers blasted for poor transparency over billions in ‘Levelling Up’ funds
A new report from the Public Accounts committee (PAC) has accused the government of failing to be transparent over the “gambling” of billions in funding awards for “Levelling Up” programmes. PAC sat that ministers finalised the principles for awarding the first round of £1.7 billion of Levelling Up funds only once they knew the identities […]
