Angela Rayner confirms welfare vote to go ahead in just days as Keir Starmer set for showdown with rebels

Stepping in for Keir Starmer, who is currently at a Nato summit at the Hague, the Deputy Prime Minister was asked bluntly by Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Mel Stride whether the vote would go ahead next Tuesday.

Rayner confirmed the vote would go ahead on Tuesday.

Stride asked: "Can [Rayner] at least assure the house that the vote on Tuesday will actually go ahead."

Rayner said: "We will go ahead on Tuesday."

Stride responded: "There you have it Mr Speaker, there will be a vote in this house on Tuesday on the welfare bill, although many on the backbenches could be forgiven for thinking they've heard this all before on the Winter Fuel Payment where they were marched up the hill and we all know where that story ended.

"But Mr Speaker, on this side of the house we are absolutely clear.

"We will help her to get their bill through if they can commit to actually reducing the welfare bill and getting people off benefits and into work.

"Can the Right Honourable Lady make that committment right now. Yes or no?"

Rayner quipped: "Well if ever we needed a reminder of the party opposite having no shame to asssert their demands for this bill Mr Speaker…

"They say cut welfare bill. They failed. They say cut people in work.

"They failed. they say no tax increases. They failed."

Despite fears of a backbench rebellion sparking a leadership contest, Starmer today reaffirmed his ambition to serve for two-terms in No10.

Speaking to GB News Political Correspondent Katherine Forster at the NATO summit, Starmer expressed confidence in his leadership when questioned about his political future.

"Very confident," he told Katherine when asked if he would be in position to see his long-term plans come to fruition. "We were voted in absolutely clearly saying we need a decade of national renewal."

The Prime Minister added: "It's really important I lead from the front and take the long term decisions for the future of this country."

Starmer's comments come after a Labour MP last night claimed that the Prime Minister's top team had been trying to dissuade rebels by saying that the revolt could "result in a General Election being called” and that it could "bring the Government down”.

Another MP said that they had been told that next week's rebellion "would cause a fresh leadership contest" and that "this could be the start of the end for Keir".

Despite talk of Starmer's premiership being under threat, the Prime Minister also swatted away any suggestion that the second reading is being treated as a confidence vote.

“It’s not a confidence vote," Starmer told Sky News. "It’s a vote about reforming our welfare system."

“It isn’t working. It doesn’t help people into work. Quite the contrary, it actually makes it harder for people to go into work.

"I think most colleagues do accept the case for reform, we’ve got to get on and make that reform.”

Starmer's welfare legislation, which would result in around 800,000 fewer people being entitled to disability benefits is expected to claw back £5billion, will return to the House of Commons next Tuesday.

Whitehall's own impact assessment estimates that 250,000 people will be pushed into poverty as a result of the provisions, including 50,000 children.