Fixing welfare a 'moral imperative', PM says, after government U-turn

Sir Keir Starmer has said fixing the UK's payment strategy is simply a "moral imperative" aft the government's U-turn.

The premier curate faced a important rebellion implicit plans to chopped sickness and disablement benefits arsenic portion of a bundle helium said would shave £5bn disconnected the payment measure and get much radical into work.

The authorities has since offered concessions up of a ballot successful the Commons connected Tuesday, including exempting existing Personal Independence Payment claimants (PIP) from the stricter caller criteria, portion the cosmopolitan recognition wellness top-up volition lone beryllium chopped and frozen for caller applications.

Speaking astatine Welsh Labour's yearly league successful Llandudno, North Wales, connected Saturday, Sir Keir said: "Everyone agrees that our payment strategy is broken, failing radical each day.

"Fixing it is simply a motivation imperative, but we request to bash it successful a Labour way, conference, and we will."

Sir Keir besides warned of a "backroom stitch up" betwixt the Conservatives, Reform UK and Plaid Cymru up of adjacent year's Senedd elections.

He said specified a woody would people a "return to the chaos and part of the past decade".

But absorption parties person deed backmost astatine the premier minister's "imaginary coalitions", with Plaid Cymru accusing Labour of "scraping the barrel".

Voters successful Wales volition caput to the polls adjacent May and caller polls suggest Labour are successful 3rd place, down Reform and Plaid.

Labour person been the largest enactment astatine each Senedd predetermination since devolution began successful 1999.

At the conference, the premier curate was joined connected signifier by Wales Secretary Jo Stevens, First Minister Eluned Morgan and lawman person of Welsh Labour Carolyn Harries.

He described Baroness Morgan arsenic a "fierce champion for Wales" and "the champion idiosyncratic to pb Wales into the future".

Sir Keir said the £80m modulation committee to enactment Port Talbot steelworkers aft the closure of the plant's blast furnaces was a effect of "two Labour governments moving unneurotic for the radical of Wales".

He described Nigel Farage arsenic a "wolf successful Wall Street clothing" who has "no thought what he's talking about" connected the issue.

The PM said the Reform UK person "isn't funny successful Wales" and has nary viable program for the blast furnaces astatine Port Talbot.

"When you inquire him astir Clacton, helium thinks he's moving successful the 2.10 astatine Ascot," Sir Keir joked.

"He's a wolf successful Wall Street clothing."

This breaking quality communicative is being updated and much details volition beryllium published shortly.

Please refresh the leafage for the latest version.

You tin person breaking quality alerts connected a smartphone oregon tablet via the Sky News app. You tin besides follow america connected WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to support up with the latest news.