Sir Keir Starmer’s U-turns on benefit cuts and winter fuel payments have blown a £4.5bn hole in the public finances that will “very likely” be filled by tax rises in the autumn Budget, leading ...

Sir Keir Starmer has defended his U-turn on welfare cuts as “common sense”, claiming that after 24 hours of talks with leaders of more than 120 Labour rebels – the welfare reform bill now struck “the ...