Starmer Writes Begging Letter to Members Amid Welfare Meltdown – Guido Fawkes

Amid chaos in the parliamentary party and a meltdown in Number 10, Starmer has now written a letter to all Labour members about the welfare U-turn. A near-pleading attempt to keep members on board…

First, Starmer blames the Tories for inheriting a “broken system,” before promising a fix:

“A welfare state that our party created. We said then that we would fix it. And that is exactly what we’re doing. The government I lead is not going to stand idle as more and more severely ill and disabled people face the insecurity of being continually reassessed for social security when it is clear that they cannot work again. We will end the cruel re-assessments for those who can’t work.”

He then goes on to try to explain his U-turn:

“I know that in recent days there have been some concerns about the changes that we have proposed. I have listened to colleagues who have rightly shared ways for us to improve our changes. And we are taking those improvements forward.”

Starmer then takes a moment to lob another jab at Farage before closing with a tired rallying cry:

“We are delivering for the people we came into politics to serve. I want to thank you for your support. We were elected on a mandate to change Britain. We are getting on with the job. And we are putting our values of care, compassion and social justice to work.”

The damage is already done…

Read his letter in full below:

A year ago next week, our Labour government was elected after 14 years of chaos and decline under the Tories. It is because of people like you that we won a majority and a mandate to change our country.

Like you, I joined the Labour Party because I believe in care, compassion and social justice. In Opposition, we watched the Tories chip away at the social contract underpinning the welfare state in Britain. A welfare state that our party created. We said then that we would fix it. And that is exactly what we’re doing.

At its best, our welfare state does what we cherish: it protects the people who need it.At its worst, because of the changes made by the Tories, it traps people into the system and denies them the dignity and security that they deserve.

The government I lead is not going to stand idle as more and more severely ill and disabled people face the insecurity of being continually reassessed for social security when it is clear that they cannot work again. We will end the cruel re-assessments for those who can’t work.

I will not accept a country where 1 in 8 young people are not in education, employment or training, with no support to help them get a foot on the ladder. When 2.8 million people of working age are written off by a Tory system that was designed to fail, I will not accept this.Let me be clear: if we do nothing to reform social security, we will fail the people who need it most. And we will give a pass to our political opponents who want to see an end to it. If the Tories were the architects who designed a system that failed people in this country, Nigel Farage’s Reform UK is the party who wants to see it off for good.

It is our job to fix the system that they have broken, to protect it for the long term. Our party created the welfare state and it is our job to secure it for the future.Our investment in mental health services, childcare and social housing is giving people the chance to live the life they want to live.

I know that in recent days there have been some concerns about the changes that we have proposed. I have listened to colleagues who have rightly shared ways for us to improve our changes. And we are taking those improvements forward.

But I want you to know this: the values that motivate our changes to social security, are the same values that mean our Plan for Change is delivering free breakfast clubs in primary schools, free school meals for those who need them, and a £1,400 boost to pay for 3.5 million low paid workers.We are delivering for the people we came into politics to serve.

I want to thank you for your support. We were elected on a mandate to change Britain. We are getting on with the job. And we are putting our values of care, compassion and social justice to work.