SIR KEIR Starmer has put “party before country” by caving to rebels and softening his benefit cuts, a Labour peer has warned.

The PM was slammed for opting to appease the revolt rather than sticking with flagship reforms.

Former benefits minister Lord Hutton said: “The country cannot afford to sit back and see these welfare levels rising in the way they are and although it’s uncomfortable for a lot of Labour MPs we can’t go on ducking.”

He added: “I think the people that we mustn’t lose sight of in all of this debate are the taxpayers who fund the welfare system.”

“It’s rising at a level which I think is really unsustainable over the medium term, and the job of government is to address that, not to try and pretend it’s not there.”

He says that the PM will have “no choice” but to come back to welfare spending and try and reduce it.

The climbdown on benefits and the winter fuel u-turn will force Chancellor Rachel Reeves to find £4.5billion after 126 Labour MPs threatened to derail plans.

Downing Street insisted there would be no “permanent” increase in borrowing but declined to rue out tax rises at the Autumn Budget to pay for it.

Sir Keir said: “For me, getting that package adjusted in that way is the right thing to do, it means it’s the right balance, it’s common sense that we can now get on with it.”

But hardline Labour rebel Nadia Whittome said the concessions were “nowhere near good enough”.