Sir Keir Starmer’s Cabinet have urged him to engage with his backbenchers more in the wake of a bruising week for the Prime Minister that saw him forced into a humiliating climbdown on welfare.
Labour MPs successfully pushed Starmer to U-turn on a significant plank of his welfare reforms that were required to save the Treasury around £5bn a year, deeply undermining his authority in the process.
The U-turn has prompted a fresh round of naval gazing within the Cabinet, with ministers calling on the Prime Minister to reach out more to his MPs in a bid to avoid another Commons clash in the future.
One Cabinet minister said “everybody knows” the PM needs to work to bring backbenchers on-side, adding: “Acknowledging there is a problem is the start of fixing it.”
In an interview with The i Paper, Environment Secretary Steve Reed blamed the welfare fiasco this week on the entire Cabinet, and said it needed to do more to improve links with the Parliamentary Labour Party.
“There were clearly lessons for the Government in what happened,” Reed said. “I don’t think there was enough engagement with backbench MPs to make sure that they were coming with the proposals that were put forward. So there’s things for us to learn there.
“Labour MPs get involved in politics because they want to make things better for people, but I think we as the Government, as ministers, have a responsibility to engage backbenchers more in the work that we’re doing.”
He added that the changes the Government are making nationally need to be translated so that MPs can show how they make a difference locally. “I think we should be doing more of that, if I am honest.”
His comments came as a junior frontbencher also called for Starmer to do more to meet with his MPs, having been accused of being too distant from his rank and file.
“He needs to be more touchy-feely… he needs to show his face more,” the MP said.
Earlier this week, MPs and ministers alike urged the Prime Minister to utilise his Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner more, calling for her to be given as role similar to that of John Prescott under Tony Blair.
“She reaches parts of the party that Keir can’t,” one MP said.
On the day following the welfare climbdown, Rachel Reeves broke down in tears while sitting on the floor of the Commons chamber during Prime Minister’s Questions.
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Read MoreThe sight sparked a panic in the financial markets, who feared Reeves was about to lose her job, while causing consternation in the wider party over her ability to handle the pressures of the job.
It capped a rough first year in power for Starmer and his Labour administration, with Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds marking the Government with a seven out of 10 on the eve of its anniversary.
Speaking to Times Radio, Reynolds admitted that it was not a “great week in terms of the management” of the welfare debate.
“Welfare is a very hard issue. There’s no doubt about it,” he said.
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