In the Prime Minister’s third appearance at the Liaison Committee, Keir Starmer was asked about child poverty, housing, Gaza, welfare cuts and a raft of other issues
Keir Starmer has said his best moment of his first year in government was “walking into Downing Street”.
The Prime Minister made the comment as he was grilled by senior MPs in a tense hour-and-a-half session, at the Liaison Committee, which is made up of the chairs of all the other Commons select committees.
In his third appearance at the committee, he was asked about child poverty, housing, Gaza and a raft of other issues. In a tense moment, chair of the Work and Pensions committee Debbie Abrahams said she was “ashamed” of the Government’s original welfare cuts.
Despite a tricky first year in power, the Prime Minister told MPs he “wouldn’t swap a single day in government for years and years in opposition”. Asked for his best moment, he said: “Walking into Downing Street and taking up the job of governing and I wouldn’t swap a single day in government for years and years in opposition.”
Mr Starmer also admitted he had struggled to balance his personal life, with the life of being Prime Minister, after the death of his brother last December. Asked for his worst moment since being election, he said: “The worst thing was when my brother died, which for me brings the private and the public into a very tense conflict and that was difficult.”
READ MORE: Keir Starmer confronted over DWP disability cuts as Labour MP says she was ‘ashamed’
1. MP ‘ashamed’ over welfare cuts
Work and Pensions Committee chair Debbie Abrahams said she was “ashamed” of the Government’s original plans to cut disability benefit cuts. Ms Abrahams told PM that the bill – which was gutted after a major Labour revolt – had cause “fear and anxiety” for disabled people.
Ms Abrahams, a key rebel, said: “This was poor legislation. It was designed to save money for the Treasury by cutting support to sick and disabled people. It was so far removed from Labour values of fairness and social justice, let alone compassion and common decency, I have to say I felt ashamed.”
Asked what values would drive the Government’s reforms, Mr Starmer replied: “I think this is a really important Labour value. I think the fact that nearly 1 million young people are out of work, not earning or learning, is a huge challenge for our country. None of us should be accepting of a system like that, it is broken and needs to be mended.”
He added: “We do need to reform the system and we should take that on as a Labour argument in my view.”
2. Child poverty vow
Keir Starmer insisted that he would drive down child poverty as he faces mounting Labour pressure to scrap the two-child benefit cap. The Prime Minister said tackling the numbers living in hardship was a key part of his government’s agenda but he has faced criticism after his flagship child poverty strategy was delayed to the autumn.
He told MPs: “Tackling poverty and breaking down barriers has to be central to everything we do. People will not feel better-off or safe and secure if we haven’t tackled poverty.”
He pointed to four key planks of his plan – increasing incomes, decreasing costs, strengthening local support, including measures to get people into work, and boosting financial resilience.
“I’m very proud of the fact that the last Labour government drove down poverty and I’m determined this Government is going to as well,” he said.
3. Kids stuck in B&Bs
The Prime Minister was challenged over the number of children stuck in bed and breakfasts during an exchange on housing. Tory Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said nearly 6,000 households with children were being housed in B&Bs for over the six week-limit.
He told Mr Starmer: “Imagine what it’s like living in a B&B with children, especially when you’re having to probably get out at 9am and not come back until 6pm. It must be pretty hard.”
Mr Starmer said it was a huge problem but it couldn’t be fixed overnight. “It needs to be turned around,” he said.
4. No answer on extra housing to tackle homelessness
Mr Starmer was unable to tell MPs where extra housing to tackle rising levels of homelessness would come from after being asked about the competition between local councils looking to house homeless families and the Home Office, which is looking to house asylum seekers.
The PM said: “I know, which is why I am so furious at the last government for leaving tens of thousands of asylum seekers unprocessed, with nowhere to live, other than accommodation paid for by the taxpayer.”
The PM insisted there was “lots of housing and many local authorities that can be used, and we’re identifying where it can be used” when asked whether the Government was planning to take over accommodation to homeless families. But asked for specific examples, he said he would write to the committee.
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5. Charities in crisis
The PM was accused of “balancing the books on the backs” of children’s hospices in a tense exchange.
Dame Caroline Dinenage, Tory MP and chairwoman of the Culture, Media and Sport committee, challenged him about charities facing deep financial struggles, which many of them say are due to the Government’s hike in employers’ national insurance contributions (NICs). She told Mr Starmer the increase was “quite simply breaking” them, as she cited how Marie Curie hospice in Liverpool has been forced to permanently close their inpatient unit.
She asked him whether it was time to offer a “blanket” exemption to all charities from the NICs rise, as even bigger charities were struggling as demand is outpacing donations coming in.
Mr Starmer said: “No I don’t think it is”. He pointed to the Government last week launching the civil society covenant, which joins up community leaders, campaigners, and charities from across the UK. The PM went on to defend the decision to raise NICs as he said he needed to fill the £22billion hole in the public finances.
Dame Caroline hit back: “You’re balancing the books on the back of things like children’s hospices.”
6. Bills, bills, bills
Liam Byrne, chair of the Business Committee, challenged the PM over a series of expert reports pointing to declining living standards for the poorest households.
He read out a painful list of upcoming tax and price rises for British families, including up to 5% council tax rises, 4.5% food price rises, energy bills up 10% and water bills up 26%. Mr Byrne told Mr Starmer: “We’ve got taxes and bills that are rising faster than wages.” He suggested the Prime Minister could increase capital gains tax on investment income to fund a “big, bold working-class tax cut”.
The PM said he was not going “to be tempted to start speculating on what might or might not be in the budget”. He added that Labour is increasing minimum wages, as well as taking a series of other measures to put more money in people’s pockets. He said these included the roll out of free breakfast clubs, the expansion of free school meals, the extension of the warm homes discount.
He added: “The central focus has to be on creating more wealth and making sure that we have a growing and thriving economy.”
7. Children in care pledge
Education committee chairwoman Helen Hayes confronted the PM about the Government’s decision to cut the Universal Credit health top-up for under 22-year-olds – and concerns about the “particularly harsh impacts” it could have on young people who have been in care. The PM said he would “certainly” look into this.
Ms Hayes, a Labour MP, told Mr Starmer that supporting children in care to have a better start in life, if the government is serious about tackling homelessness and the prisons crisis, both of which former children in care are overrepresented in.
Mr Starmer said: “We absolutely need a better approach to that – whether a completely national approach is right or wrong, I don’t know, I’ll certainly have a look… But we do have to improve the chances and opportunities for those who’ve been in care.”
8. Gaza needs action not words
Mr Starmer was told that people want to see “action” not words in stopping Israel’s relentless assault on Gaza after the PM called for a ceasefire.
In a tense moment, justice committee chairman Andy Slaughter told the PM: “We hear words. There’s another statement I understand today – a joint statement with 25 countries – but people are asking for action… and we have yet to see any steps that have led the Israelis to take action on a ceasefire.
“Indeed the opposite is the case. Every morning brings new horrors and new atrocities, new displacements, new deaths of civilians queuing for food in that way, and they’re looking to you and to this government to try and provide something which makes that ceasefire happen. What will that be?”
The PM said the situation in Gaza is “intolerable, on so many levels”, adding: “And we make that absolutely clear with Israel and other countries.” He continued: “We have taken action in terms of sanctions, in terms of what we’re doing in terms of arms sales and we’re working hard with allies to ensure we bring about a ceasefire. That is not straightforward, as you will appreciate.”
Mr Slaughter added that the Government should have responded to the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion, which ruled that Israel’s continuing presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories was “unlawful” and should be ended as soon as possible. “It’s been over a year since that was issued,” he told the PM.
Mr Starmer said: “There’s a lot in it. We’re working through it and we will respond in due course.”
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