PM takes blame for welfare U-turn as he gives full backing to Chancellor
Speaking to the BBC in his first interview since a threatened backbench revolt forced him to strip out a major part of his welfare reform plan, he acknowledged the past few days had been 'tough'.
He said: 'Labour MPs are absolutely vested in this. It matters to them to get things like this right, and we didn't get that process right. We didn't engage in the way that we should have done.'
But he insisted his Government would 'come through it stronger' as he vowed to 'reflect' on what needed to be done 'to ensure we don't get into a situation like that again'.
Sir Keir also gave his full support to Chancellor Rachel Reeves after she was seen crying during Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday.
Ms Reeves's visibly tearful appearance in the Commons came amid speculation that her job was at risk after the welfare U-turn put an almost £5 billion hole in her spending plans.
But the Prime Minister insisted her appearance had 'nothing to do with politics, nothing to do with what's happened this week' and was 'a personal matter'.
Asked if she would remain in her post, he said: 'She will be Chancellor for a very long time to come, because this project that we've been working on to change the Labour Party, to win the election, change the country, that is a project which the Chancellor and I've been working on together.'
On Thursday morning, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said Ms Reeves would 'bounce back' as he praised her 'leadership' on the economy.
He also dismissed a suggestion that Sir Keir himself could be at risk, telling Sky News: 'Keir Starmer has been consistently underestimated.
'I wonder when people will learn. They said he couldn't win the Labour leadership, but he did. They said he couldn't change the Labour Party, but he did. They said he couldn't take the Labour Party from its worst defeat since the 1930s to election victory last year, and he did.
'And now the cynics say he can't change the country, but he will.'
But Conservative shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride said the scenes in the Commons over the past week had left bond markets 'twitchy' about the Government and 'their ability to actually grip things like spending going forward'.
Appearing on BBC Breakfast, Sir Mel appeared to distance himself from Robert Jenrick, who had earlier posted a video on social media describing Ms Reeves's career as 'dead'.
But he added that Mr Jenrick was making a 'valid' point that the Government had 'lost control of the economy', laying the blame with the Chancellor and Sir Keir and warning of tax rises to come.
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I bought a dated caravan & turned it into my family's very own second home for £4.5k - now we holiday for just £10 a day 'To bring the overall look together, I'd recommend adding coving at the top of the MDF sheet where it meets the ceiling as this gives the appearance of truly built-in bedroom furniture. "It also creates a really neat finish. You can buy pre-cut corners which are quick and easy to attach." Here, she breaks down exactly how she created her DIY fitted wardrobe set-up in seven simple steps. Step 1: Building and positioning the wardrobes Claire said: 'Before I started, I made sure the wardrobes would fit well within the space by measuring the ceiling height and width. "I sketched out the wardrobe design which helped me to visualise how everything would come together. 'The freestanding wardrobes I chose were quite short, so I built a frame above them for additional storage." Step 2: Building a CLS timber base frame 'To give the wardrobes a sturdy and level foundation, I constructed a CLS timber frame for them to sit on", Claire continued. "As I was building a desk in between, I only wanted the base under the wardrobes, with a gap in the middle for the desk. "If you are creating a full wall of fitted wardrobes, build your frame the entire length of the wall. 'To build the CLS base frame, I measured the footprint of the wardrobes and cut the CLS to size. "Then, I assembled the frame using screws, ensuring it was level and secure. I fixed the frame to the floor to prevent movement and then placed the wardrobes onto the base frame.' Step 3: Framing the gap Claire then filled the gap between the top of the wardrobes and the ceiling with a timber frame to "create the perfect fit". She added: "Depending on the height of your freestanding wardrobes, you might only need to fix a baton along the top of the wardrobe edge or onto the ceiling to attach the tops of the MDF cladding sheets to. 7 'To build the frame, I measured the gap between the wardrobe tops and the ceiling and constructed a simple CLS timber frame to fit within this space. I then secured the frame to both the wardrobes and the ceiling with fixings.' Step 4: Fit your MDF wall panels Claire then attached the MDF wall panels. "We chose traditional bead and butt style panels - to the wardrobe sides, front frame and top gap to complete the built-in look", she said. "The panels came pre-primed which saved a lot of time, effort and cost and can be cut-to-size and delivered. 'I used grab adhesive and screws to fix the panels to the wardrobes and CLS timber frame, making sure all edges aligned neatly for a seamless finish. Once the side panels were fitted, I covered the joins by attaching a piece of ribbed strip moulding over the edge.' 'To create a cohesive finish, I attached a large MDF panel to the wall in-between the wardrobes to create a backdrop for the desk.' 7 7 Step 5: Fitting an MDF desk between the wardrobes To incorporate a desk between the wardrobes, Claire then measured the space in between and cut an MDF panel to be used as the desk surface. "I then fixed the desk securely to the wardrobe sides using brackets and a spirit level to ensure the desk was level", she added. Step 6: Extending the wardrobe to the ceiling Claire said: 'To fill in the gap above each wardrobe, I attached floor to ceiling MDF panels to the existing wardrobe doors. "When cutting the MDF panels to match the width of the wardrobe doors, I allowed a gap so that the outer edge of the existing door could go inside the wardrobe when fully open.' 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