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Cabinet minister refuses to ‘speculate’ on tax rises after Starmer’s welfare bill blow

Pat McFadden 'won't deny financial consequences' of welfare reform decision

Cabinet minister Pat McFadden declined to rule out tax rises after Labour's welfare concessions to backbench rebels, telling BBC Breakfast he was "not going to speculate" on what could be in the budget.
The controversial bill, initially designed to deliver £5bn in savings through welfare cuts, passed through the Commons on Tuesday after significant concessions, particularly regarding changes to personal independence payments (PIP).
Despite the concessions, prime minister Keir Starmer suffered the biggest rebellion of his premiership so far, with 49 Labour MPs voting against the government’s bill.
One of the leading Labour rebels, Rachael Maskell, told BBC Radio 4 on Wednesday the bill was “disintegrating before our eyes” when it scraped through its second reading.