Keir Starmer has shrugged off his unwanted label as “Mr U-turn” after his retreats over the winter fuel allowance and a national inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal.
The prime minister’s problem is that making one U-turn gives your party an appetite for more, and anxious Labour MPs are feeling ravenous. Today, the government is publishing its bill to reduce the welfare budget by £5bn, including controversial cuts to disability and sickness benefits. More than 150 Labour MPs are unhappy about the cuts, and about 50 might oppose them.
