The vote on lifting the two child cap for benefits such as Universal Credit in 2024 was reportedly seen as a ‘virility’ test by the Government and the forthcoming vote on Welfare cuts seems to have fallen into the same category. Seven Labour MPs voted to end the benefit cap and were suspended. A lot more may vote against Welfare cuts, although clearly there is a political battle in progress. Starmer is often compared to Blair but history suggests he is rather more authoritarian figure, or alternatively not such a politically astute leader as Blair.
We can make the comparison because after the Labour landslide in May 1997 there was a similar ‘virility’ test over lone parent benefit cuts.
Tony Benn, who was one of 47 MPs who voted against, recorded events in the entries for December 1997 in his diary.
He noted: I spoke for four minutes only. I said I was against the Bill and gave the reasons why and said I intended to vote against the third reading… I was angry at the way the Government had behaved 10th December.
On 12th December after facing angry constituents Benn recorded ‘there is no doubt this has been Blair’s biggest mistake so far’
On 17th December there was a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party addressed by Blair. Again Benn recorded what Blair said. This included the line, ‘there are choices to be made. It is a test of our nerve. The welfare state has got to be reformed’.
The 47 MPs who voted against changes on 10th December comprised left Labour MPs and Liberal Democrats (in their pre-austerity phase). Beyond underlining on 17th December what his project was, Blair felt secure enough to take no action. We shall see how the future of the Starmer project fares.
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