Welfare U-turn means we are in ‘better position’

Major concessions have put the government in a “better position” to pass welfare reforms, the health secretary said, as he admitted Labour’s leadership mishandled the rollout of its flagship bill.

Wes Streeting said Labour MPs had raised “substantial” concerns about planned welfare cuts, and the government strengthen its plans as a result.

Last week, the prime minister was forced into a dramatic U-turn to avoid a House of Commons defeat after more than 120 Labour backbenchers threatened to vote down his plans.

“We are in a much better position this week than last week,” Streeting told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, and said the government has to “learn” from narrowly avoiding…