If welfare bill fails, government will have to have a confidence vote, says Labour peer
As the stand-off between Labour MPs and No 10 continues over the welfare bill, a party grandee has been talking about what will happen if the government loses the vote on Tuesday.
Speaking to Andrew Marr on LBC, former Labour home secretary Lord Blunkett said: "If they lost it, they'd have to go for a vote of confidence, I think."
For context: The Labour government enjoys a massive majority of 156 seats over the other parties, meaning it should be able to pass any bills with ease. The prospect of defeat by his own backbenchers is humiliating for the prime minister.
"But the embarrassment of that one year in, the difficulty of that, leaves you with two problems," Blunkett added.
"One is you've been humiliated, and the second is you've still got the problem. You know, the welfare issue has not gone away, so solving the problem, not taking the hit, is the sensible solution."
PM 'diverted' from growing row
He said he would delay the vote until September, saying: "The timing of the vote is not crucial in anyone's book, and politics involves sometimes just giving a bit of space, talking to people."
He added the party whips "have been making these points very heavily to the people in Downing Street" - but Sir Keir Starmer "has been diverted onto the international agenda".
"I think he now needs to come back from Holland tomorrow and be absolutely clear and focused on this," Lord Blunkett said.
Some advice for both sides鈥�
On suggestions from No 10 that the vote on the welfare bill could be a confidence vote (which Starmer has denied), Blunkett said: "I think it's very silly."
His advice to Labour rebels? "Don't overplay your hand."
His advice to Downing Street? "Don't overplay your power."