Overview

• Chancellor Rachel Reeves hints at potential adjustments to the winter fuel payment thresholds after backlash over cuts affecting nine million pensioners.
• Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner's leaked memo outlines £3–4 billion in proposed tax hikes, including reinstating the pensions lifetime allowance and raising dividend taxes.
• Labour MPs continue to voice strong opposition to welfare reforms, with over 170 backbenchers signaling resistance to cuts in disability and incapacity benefits.
• Prime Minister Keir Starmer defends welfare cuts as a core Labour principle, emphasizing the party's commitment to fiscal discipline and work-oriented welfare reform.
• The leaked memo and ongoing policy disputes highlight growing tensions within Labour's leadership as the party grapples with poor local election results and internal dissent.