Starmer Acknowledges Mistakes in Handling Welfare Policy Changes

The prime minister's comments come after a chaotic few days in Westminster, which saw Labour MPs revolt over proposed changes to the Personal Independence Payment (Pip). The government had initially planned to tighten eligibility criteria, but faced mounting opposition from within its own ranks. Despite holding a commanding majority, Sir Keir's administration appeared caught off guard by the scale of the backlash. More than 120 Labour MPs threatened to vote against the bill, prompting a series of last-minute concessions. Ahead of Tuesday's vote, ministers had already watered down their plans once by reversing some cuts to universal credit and protecting current Pip claimants from stricter eligibility rules. However some Labour MPs were still concerned the new criteria for claiming Pip would come into force before the recommendations of a review could be implemented. Fearing a humiliating defeat, the government announced a further U-turn, saying it would not change Pip rules until it had time to consider the review's conclusions. The 11th hour changes leave the government's Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill, external gutted of its most significant measures. Speaking to Nick Robinson in a pre-planned interview to mark a year in office, Sir Keir admitted he \"didn't get that process right\". \"We didn't engage in the way we should have done.\" He said that \"Labour politicians come into public life because they care deeply\", especially about issues like disability benefits. Sir Keir insisted he remained committed to reforming the welfare system. \"There is a very, very strong agreement in the Labour Party that we do need to reform the system,\" he said. \"But I'm not one of these ideological thinkers. I'm a pragmatist.\"