KEIR Starmer was confronted over his refusal to scrap the two-child benefit cap by trade unionists – as he said he would make “no apologies” for stripping millions of pensioners of help with their energy bills.
The Prime Minister on Tuesday addressed the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in Brighton, giving a speech at the gathering of trade unionists in which he doubled down on his Government’s tough approach to benefits.
His speech came on the same day as Labour attempt to stifle an expected rebellion on the Winter Fuel Payment, which is set to become a means-tested benefit.
In a move which will hit around 10 million pensioners, and is predicted to save around £1.4 billion each year, the payment will only be given to the worst-off pensioners, including those claiming Pension Credit.
Speaking at the TUC meeting, Starmer faced demands from the head of Scotland’s largest teaching union to set out the steps Labour were taking to tackle child poverty, after his refusal to scrap the two-child cap.
Allan Crosbie, the national president of the EIS, said: “The UK is one of the richest countries in the world but poverty is wrecking the lives of more than a quarter of our children.
“The two-child benefit cap, punitively introduced by the last Government is a driver of poverty among larger families and is negatively impacting the lives of 1.6m children. Controversially, your Government has not scrapped the two-child benefit cap.
“What alternative, urgent measures are you therefore taking to immediately alleviate the poverty experienced by 4.3m children across the UK?”
Starmer argued that child poverty could not be “solved just by one adjustment in welfare”.
He said: "It is a really important issue, as you know, as the whole of Congress knows and it matters to this Government.
"Obviously we’ve had to take difficult decisions, given the economic circumstances we’re in for reasons that I have explained but that does not diminish, to answer your question directly, our absolute determination in relation to child poverty. It’s far too high, it is our responsibility to bring it down.
“We’ve already set up a taskforce but that has to get to the underlying causes as well. This isn’t an issue that can be solved just by one adjustment in welfare, frankly, it’s about housing, about education, it’s about wages, it’s about conditions in which people live, health, metal health.”
The Prime Minister said he was “determined” to tackle child poverty “just as the last Labour Government brought child poverty right down”.
In his speech to the conference, he issued a defence of the decisions the Government had made to “begin the work of change”.
He said: “When I say ‘country first, party second’ – that isn't a slogan.
“It's the guiding principle of everything this Government will do, we ran as a changed Labour Party and we will govern as a changed Labour Party.
“So I make no apologies for any of the decisions we’ve taken to begin the work of change.”
Starmer later reiterated warnings about pain to come, saying the Government would “not risk its mandate for economic stability, under any circumstances”.
Roz Foyer (above), the general secretary of the Scottish Trades Union Congress, said: “The Prime Minister gave welcome recommitments in his address, particularly on the new deal for working people.
“But overall, this wasn't a speech that reflected the change working people voted for.
“He had an opportunity to set out a strong plan to consign the wreckage of successive Tory governments to history. In this, he was wide of the mark.”
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham added: “It's clear that Britain is better under a Labour Government, however change must mean change. Tinkering around the edges is not enough.
“Labour must rule out austerity mark two and ensure we address the crisis in our crumbling public services and the lack of investment in British industry.”
