Welfare reform, Starmer defends his chancellor after the pound's collapse

An admission of responsibility came from British Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer for his handling of the chaotic approval in the House of Commons of the welfare reform bill, containing cuts in benefits for disabled and sick workers, after the bill was drastically scaled back by concessions in order to contain the revolt of majority MPs.

The prime minister admitted in an interview with the BBC that he 'did not interact' properly with Labour MPs in the debate on the measure and at the same time returned to defend Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves, who was reduced to tears yesterday during Question Time at the Commons after Sir Keir did not immediately guarantee to keep her in her post as treasury minister in the face of incoming attacks from Conservative opposition leader Kemi Badenoch on the management of the economy and public accounts.

The PM, who had relied on a spokesman to reassure that Reeves would remain in his post but only after the debate in Parliament, returned to do so, emphasising that the chancellor was doing a great job and her crying was due to 'personal reasons'. According to the Sun tabloid, Reeves instead said he was 'under a lot of pressure' before showing his upset and tears during Question Time.

Starmer's own reassurances seem more like an attempt to curb the controversy, the internal party faction that is organising itself after the revolt of 42 MPs against the welfare cuts and also the instability of the markets, seen in the last few hours with the sharp depreciation of the pound. It is precisely for this reason that the Times points out that Reeves' future in that delicate post appears in the balance. All this comes on the eve of the first anniversary of the 4 July 2024 general election won by Labour and Starmer's subsequent rise to power.