Sir Keir Starmer is bracing for a fresh backbench rebellion over special needs children after the Education Secretary failed to confirm whether vulnerable pupils would have the legal right to support in schools.
On Sunday, Bridget Phillipson said that Labour was committed to reforming help for children with learning difficulties or disabilities.
But she refused to guarantee that parents would retain the right to ensure their children receive bespoke support for their needs.
Now, a series of senior Labour MPs have lined up to take pot-shots at the Cabinet – with dozens ready to rebel in what one has dubbed “welfare mark two”.
“The Government has got to think again now or they’ll be repeating the same mistake they made with welfare reform,” one senior Labour MP told The Times.
“We’re all in favour of reforming the system but that cannot be driven by saving money and taking support away from children.”
Another jabbed: “If they thought taking money away from disabled adults was bad, watch what happens when they try the same with disabled kids.”
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As PM faces down backbenchers… Zarah Sultana hails surging Corbynista party support and Green firebrand calls to unite the hard-left
As the Prime Minister faces down the prospect of another backbench rebellion, Labour is also grappling with the prospect of a breakaway hard-left party which pollsters say could eat into its vote share.
Last week, ex-Labour firebrands Zarah Sultana and Jeremy Corbyn announced plans to form a left-wing bloc – but Starmer’s party has vowed that “only Labour can deliver the change needed to renew Britain”.
Since then, Sultana has said that “72,000 people have signed up to get involved”.
And now, hardliner Green leadership contender Zack Polanski has said the eco-party should join forces with the pro-Gaza grouping in a bid to emulate Reform UK’s success on the right.
Polanski, a London Assembly member and former hypnotherapist, has said he is open to a pact with anyone who can stave off Nigel Farage’s surging party.
“We have an increasingly unpopular Labour government that not only doesn’t know how to handle it, but is actively making the conditions that are spurring on Nigel Farage even worse,” he blasted.
“I will ally myself with anyone who shares my and the Green Party’s values,” he said.
IN DEPTH: Bridget Phillipson’s looming special needs reforms which have sparked ‘welfare mark two’ fury
Bridget Phillipson’s proposals would shift resources towards ‘early intervention’ and enhanced support within mainstream schools
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The Government is preparing a major overhaul of England’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities system, with reforms set to be unveiled this autumn.
Bridget Phillipson’s proposals would shift resources towards “early intervention” and enhanced support within mainstream schools, moving away from reliance on more costly specialist school placements.
Ministers insist the changes aim to fix what they describe as a “failed” system and improve outcomes for all children with special needs, rather than cutting costs.
The Government has allocated £750million for specialist facilities in mainstream schools and over £1billion for high-needs pupils.
But now, Labour is contemplating scaling back education health and care plans (EHCPs), which legally oblige councils to provide special support.
Government data reveals that 639,000 children in England held EHCPs by January, marking an 11 per cent rise from the previous year.
The high special needs budget will reach £12billion in 2025-26, up from £8billion in 2021-22.
What happened the last time Keir Starmer went head-to-head with the Labour backbenches?
Just one week ago, Sir Keir Starmer was forced into a climbdown over his efforts to pare back Britain’s ballooning benefits bill by just a small fraction of its over £300billion annual cost.
With the prospect of a 150-strong backbench rebellion looming, Starmer confirmed he would water down his proposed benefits cuts.
The Prime Minister, who was pushing for a £5billion cut to welfare spending by slashing Personal Independence Payments and Universal Credit, completed an enormous climbdown just days after dismissing 120 Labour rebels as being “noises off”.
MPs went on to pass the second reading of Labour’s Bill by 335 to 260 – a majority of 75, just over a third of the majority awarded to Starmer’s party following the General Election.
READ THE FULL STORY AS IT HAPPENED – LABOUR’S BENEFITS CLIMBDOWN