Rayner Seeks to Reunify Labour MPs After Welfare Bill Rebellion

UK Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner used Monday night’s weekly meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party to acknowledge back-bench anger over last week’s contentious welfare reform vote and to call for unity. Telling MPs she knew they felt “disheartened and bruised,” Rayner said the leadership must “learn from this” and improve the way policy decisions are handled. Rayner was seated beside Chancellor Rachel Reeves and publicly endorsed her economic agenda, highlighting the Treasury’s planned investment in affordable housing announced in the recent spending review. Reeves, accompanied by her sister and Labour Party chair Ellie Reeves, attended the meeting but did not address MPs. The session follows days of infighting after scores of Labour MPs signalled opposition to elements of the welfare bill, which critics said placed savings over support for vulnerable households. Rayner conceded the dispute was about “not just the policy, it’s the process,” while urging colleagues to “rely on our unity and strength” as the government prepares its autumn budget and further social-policy legislation.