Prime Minister Keir Starmer is poised to slash the UK’s ballooning benefits bill next week, setting the scene for a moment of political danger that his own supporters concede will be his toughest domestic test yet amid calls from within the governing Labour Party to raise taxes or borrowing instead.

Keir Starmer is facing a mounting Labour backlash over his decision to slash foreign aid to boost defence spending. The prime minister announced last week that the amount of money the government spends on the military will increase from 2.

Sir Keir Starmer has seemingly been forced to delay his plan to cut benefits after being spooked by a potential Labour rebellion. As many as 80 Labour MPs were preparing to defy the Prime Minister over his plan to overhaul Britain's "spiralling" welfare system.

Sir Keir Starmer has warned Labour MPs that the Government could not “shrug our shoulders and look away” from problems in the welfare system and elsewhere amid backbench concerns over expected reforms.