Thread 26 Starmer: Cats, Rebels and Orange Chaos

[DuncinToffee]

Previous thread https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5349605-thread-25-starmer-cheers-for-a-falling-out-among-thieves?page=40&reply=145224605

I didn’t say it was! I pointed out that the government has presented as a vote of confidence in Starmer and the government. That is very bad for them, and that is some blood in the water for the Labour Government. I do think it’s a kind of test, in part because the Government has made it so.

They could accept this amendment but clearly they rejected this already as a backbench compromise. Why?

The options narrow- defer the bill, defer the vote, but not, it seems accept the amendment, which leaves Labour MPs voting against their own Ministers. Is it pointless macho crap? A determination to reform (public reason) or what?

I expect there’ll be some high level discussions going on about how (or if) to proceed. I do think they should listen to the back benchers (and some more senior figures) who have raised objections. In a representative democracy it always pays t9 listen to the representatives.

All hail to Andy Burnham who has spoken so eloquently on Newsnight.

Honestly I have never seen anything like it.

Seriously? How quickly the May and Johnson years are forgotten.

I honestly cannot believe this is happening. This time last year I was happily anticipating the downfall of the Tories. Now we have a rebellion against a Labour government intent on making a cruel system even crueler for disabled people.

"The broadest shoulders".

I will watch Andy Burnham.

And as I pointed out, same happened to Osborne when he tried to make the PIP system much less generous and more humiliating and had to withdraw his proposals. Labour should have learned from that.

This is a big rebellion, but it is not going to bring Starmer or the government down. I hope Kendall's career is screwed by it, though.

From the Labour Party? I really think that if you are going to make cuts to disability payments, where your previous MO was supporting the vulnerable, you would have a plan.

Did no one at the top tier of the Labour Party think at all that this would be controversial? Or that they should have been cultivating their MPs to ensure it did not get to this Mexican standoff stage?

I guess we know why Vicky Foxcroft resigned. It may have been principled, but it may also have been a sharp recognition by her at least that there was a very serious problem overall.

Thank you for the new thread Duncin & all contributors the tax photographs are beautiful a photo of the peonies in bloom from me.

Fabian Hamilton voted for Liz Kendall when she stood as Labour leader. He's signed supporting the amendment, and he's hardly on the left of the party. I've had significant dealings with him and he went out of his way to help me - he wasn't my MP either. He's a decent man.

I have emailed my MP asking her to support the reasoned amendment. Let's see how she replies.

I think it's clear that politicians of all stripe have no idea how the matter of PIP has infiltrated society. As an issue force multiplier it's unique.

Meaning that for every person potentially affected by losing PIP, there will be 3 or 4 people who will be directly and negatively impacted. And that is the price successive governments have paid for abandoning the less able to be cared for on the cheap by relatives.

That's a lot of voters.

Starmer is sitting next to Trump at the Nato summit

It's gone comedy gold now with the addition of cats and mentions of these threads 🐱

Westminster Voting Intention...

...Amongst People with Jobs:
LAB: 27%
RFM: 24%
LDM: 16%
CON: 15%
GRN: 12%

...Amongst the Retired:
RFM: 36%
CON: 28%
LDM: 14%
LAB: 13%
GRN: 4%

Via @yougov.co.uk, 29 May - 18 Jun.

I’m so deeply ashamed of my generation.

For those not working but not retired.

Not working:
RFM 29, LAB 23, CON 14, LDM 12, GRN 12

Unemployed:
LAB 26, RFM 24, GRN 22, LDM 12, CON 8

Student:
LAB 33, GRN 27, LDM 18, CON 9, RFM 7

Well, well… Stephen Timms has just said the Government will accept Conservative support on the Bill. Hard ball stuff

Mel Stride's turn to face Rayner in PMQs

He was bad

Rayner's opening line "nice to face the latest wannabe" 😅

Rayner was pretty good! Hit back. Stride is much better than Badenoch and his questions were focussed on the weakness of Labour.

A draw. Rayner is good at PMQs, and Stride much better at stabbing at Labour. He tied it off to the failing economy, which was smart.

Labour are stuck. Or more likely Reeves is. She will have to increase tax at the next budget, the only question is now how much, depending on the Welfare Bill.

Kendall looked ill. She will be bearing a lot of responsibility if the Labour majority tips over on this.

Like the students stats.

Shows the future of the country is currently in sensible hands.

To be fair Raynor did say PMQs has been better the last two weeks because of the absence of Badenoch 😄

Enjoyed the exchange between her and Dowden.

Tax avoidant I’m afraid.

But worth reading this from Chaminda Jayanetti on Bluesky

NEW: Labour's planned disability benefit cuts could affect the majority of current working-age claimants with ischaemic heart disease, inflammatory arthritis, hip and knee disorders and Crohn’s disease, according to analysis of new DWP data

The cuts also put at risk the PIP benefits of half of existing working age claimants with sickle cell anaemia or HIV/AIDS, around 40% of those with amputations or liver failure, and between 40% and 50% of those with tuberculosis and PTSD

The plans could also substantively reduce the number of claimants with multiple sclerosis and certain types of cancer, including breast cancer, bowel cancer and cervical cancer
https://www.bigissue.com/news/social-justice/disability-benefit-cuts-pip-heart-disease-arthritis-hiv/

hello, belated cat tax

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/24/labours-benefit-cuts-may-discriminate-against-disabled-women-say-charities

From Frances Ryan.