Prime Minister Keir Starmer defended a climb-down on his flagship welfare bill on Saturday, telling the Welsh Labour conference that fixing the system remains a “moral imperative” but must be done “in a Labour way.” The government has shelved plans to tighten eligibility for existing Personal Independence Payment recipients and frozen changes to the health element of Universal Credit after more than 120 Labour MPs signalled they would vote against the legislation. The U-turn has intensified unrest within the party. Figures on the left and right of Labour are calling for a “reset” with backbenchers, while some MPs and government insiders have urged Starmer to dismiss Chancellor Rachel Reeves and senior strategist Morgan McSweeney. The high-profile retreat follows earlier reversals on winter-fuel payments and policing policy, fuelling accusations that the government lacks direction only a year after winning office. Polling released the same day underscores the political cost. An Ipsos survey found 56% of voters are disappointed with Labour’s first year in power and 52% hold an unfavourable view of Starmer. A separate Public First poll for the Telegraph put the prime minister’s unfavourable rating at 53%, with just 26% viewing him positively. Reeves fares worse, on a net rating of –36. The discontent comes as Labour prepares for a potentially difficult Senedd election next May. Two recent Welsh polls place the party in third place behind Plaid Cymru and the insurgent Reform UK, ending a Labour run in Cardiff Bay that dates back to 1999. Starmer warned delegates of a possible “back-room stitch-up” among opposition parties but conceded the party must regain voters’ trust after a bruising week in Westminster.