Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall vowed to defy Labour critics and press ahead with benefit cuts of £5 billion as she warned they were needed to defeat Nigel Farage and Reform at the ballot box. Around 100 Labour MPs, more than a quarter of the total, are reported to have signed a letter urging ministers to scale back changes such as slashing the number receiving Personal Independence Payments, which help disabled people with living costs.

But Ms Kendall said her changes were “crucial to fighting the rise in populist politics”, a reference to the growing popularity of Reform. In a speech hosted by think tank IPPR she warned the current system was “unsustainable”, with the cost of benefits for the disabled and long-term ill set to rise by £8 billion even after the cuts.

Speaking on the same day that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer confirmed a partial u-turn over cuts to winter fuel payments, Ms Kendall insisted: “The risk is the welfare state won’t be there for people who really need it in future.”

The package of changes announced in March included increasing Universal Credit for many claimants and ensuring people on disability benefits can look for work without risking losing their payments. However the most controversial change involved removing Personal Independence Payments (PIP) for 800,000 people, including 370,00 current claimants and 430,000 people who will no longer be eligible in the future, each losing an average of £4,500.

Charity Disability Rights UK warned the cuts “are going to lead to deaths” while Help for Heroes said ex-veterans would lose vital support. Labour MPs such as Diane Abbott and Rachael Maskell have publicly condemned the reductions while many others have expressed concern to Ministers in private.

Ms Kendall said nearly one in 10 people of working age are now on a sickness or disability benefit and the number would keep rising. She said: “There are now 1,000 new PIP awards every single day. That’s the equivalent of adding a city the size of Leicester every single year.

“This is not sustainable or fair – for the people who need support and for taxpayers.”

Trying to convince Labour colleagues that the changes are in line with Labour’s traditions, she said: “They follow in the footsteps of the great reforming Labour governments of the past, rooted in our enduring values of fairness, equality and opportunity.”

But Ms Kendall also admitted there was a political motive behind the cuts. She said: “We must deliver real change to fight the rise in support for populists.”

Organisations representing disabled people said they were disappointed that the Government has decided to push ahead. Tom Marsland, head of policy for charity Sense, said: “We agree that the welfare system isn’t currently working for disabled people – but increasing the number of disabled people in poverty will never be the solution.”

Labour’s electoral survival depends on pacifying pensioners

Sir Keir Starmer needs to win back older voters (Image: Getty)

Sir Keir Starmer is desperate to appease pensioners who are furious his Government scrapped universal entitlement to winter fuel payments. The radical curtailment of the benefit will go down in political history as one of the most damaging decisions by a new Government.

In an instant, Labour torched trust and goodwill and made enemies among the most powerful block of voters in the country. The July 29 announcement – made just weeks after the party ended 14 years in Opposition – sickened voters who felt betrayed. Why wasn’t the possibility of the huge blow to pensioners’ incomes in the manifesto?

Sir Keir is now scrambling to repair this burnt-down bridge. The drubbing the party received in the elections this month – most strikingly in the by-election loss of the once safe seat of Runcorn and Helsby – demonstrates the danger the Government faces if this huge group of voters is still incensed the next time they get to go to the polls.

If retirees who have voted Labour all their working lives abandon the party then Sir Keir faces a crisis – particularly in Red Wall seats. The Conservatives and Reform UK will do everything they can to get them to switch.

There is a big fear in Westminster that while a sense of social stigma meant many older voters in traditional Labour heartlands cannot bring themselves to vote Tory they will be much less reluctant to put an X next to Nigel Farage’s party.

The Prime Minister has not committed to a full restoration of the benefit and it is unclear when he will announce the decision. But there is not a moment to lose.

Pensioners have the power to decide the next election and every party with ambitions to lead the government will be vying for their vote. Why do they have so much clout? It’s simple – they vote.

At the last election more than seven out of 10 citizens aged 65-plus voted, according to an Ipsos analysis. How many 18-24s took part? Fewer than four out of 10.

Pensioners are not just angry about losing their winter fuel support. Farmers tell hair-raising stories about the depth of worry about inheritance tax hikes on agricultural assets.

Other pensioners are dismayed that the freeze in personal tax allowances means their retirement income is now being taxed.

It is not enough for Labour to boast about its commitment to the triple lock when the Treasury is siphoning money away from a section of society that can do little to boost their household income.

Pensioners will welcome Sir Keir’s signal that a partial u-turn on winter fuel is on the way. But even a full restoration may not be enough to repair the damage.

That could require an apology. Sir Keir’s Government must show it has learned a lesson it will not forget.