A government minister has tried to brush off the growing Labour rebellion over welfare cuts by pointing to an old Tony Blair bust-up — but it’s not exactly a one-to-one comparison.
Trade policy minister Douglas Alexander insisted things were perfectly normal, despite more than 120 Labour MPs now backing an amendment to block Keir Starmer’s controversial £5 billion benefits cut.
🗳️ The rebellion that just won’t go away
With the Commons vote just days away, Labour whips are scrambling to calm backbenchers. But things are looking tense.
The rebellion, spearheaded by left-leaning MPs, already has 126 Labour signatures. If more than 83 vote against the bill, the government could suffer a humiliating defeat — Starmer’s first real parliamentary test.
And that has ministers reaching for the history books.
🕰️ “It happened to Blair too,” says Alexander
Speaking to Sky News, Douglas Alexander tried to downplay the mutiny, claiming this is just history repeating itself:
“I remember what was a very large rebellion early after the 1997 landslide over lone-parent benefits. What followed was a Labour government that came together and delivered.”
Back in December 1997, 47 MPs defied Blair on benefit cuts. More than 100 abstained. Several resigned.
But — and here’s the twist — Blair still had a 179-seat majority and sky-high popularity. Starmer’s majority is slightly smaller at 165, but his personal ratings are much worse.
📉 Starmer’s not exactly Blair in 1997
Blair’s approval rating one year in was a healthy +32. Starmer? A bruising -30.
That’s a 62-point gap — not exactly the kind of comparison Labour strategists will be thrilled about.
And while Blair had political capital to spare, Starmer’s government already seems to be burning through its reserves at record speed.
📞 Last-minute deals incoming
Alexander admitted negotiations are still ongoing:
“There’ll be conversations before the vote — and many more after. That’s how you get the legislation right.”
But with more than 120 rebels and counting, the party’s whips have a tough few days ahead.
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