Starmer guts welfare reform to avert defeat in Commons | Wednesday’s newspapers
Wednesday’s newspaper front pages lead with the prime minister’s further concessions on his controversial welfare reforms. The late changes came ahead of the House of Commons vote to avoid an embarrassing defeat. The bill passed by 335 votes to 260.
The UK heatwave and Wimbledon find space on the front pages as tennis stars sizzled in the record-breaking temperatures.
Beyond welfare, there are a handful of other stories dominating the front pages, including Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill and the ongoing spat with Elon Musk. There is continued coverage of the backlash facing the BBC over the Glastonbury row, three people have been arrested in connection with the Lucy Letby murders and migrants crossing the English Channel.
The sports papers look ahead to this summer’s Women’s Euros as the Lionesses prepare to defend their crown.
The stories dominating UK this morning
‘Starmer guts welfare reform to advert defeat in Commons’
Most of the newspapers lead with the welfare reforms and yesterday’s Commons vote.
- The FT reports the prime minister’s “gutted” welfare bill has prevented a “full-scale Labour rebellion” but left “a multibillion hole in the public finances”. The PM “authorised a last-minute climbdown” over fears of a Commons defeat, the paper writes.
- The i newspaper reports that the “last minute climbdown” over the welfare bill writing, “Labour rebels force Starmer to retreat on benefit cuts again.” The paper says those who opposed him are now “emboldened” and “likely to keep challenging PM and Reeves.”
- The Times reports that the prime minister’s welfare bill “turns to farce,” citing a government minister who called the changes “shambolic.”
- The Daily Telegraph leads with the Tory leader Kemi Badenoch’s reaction to the last-minute alterations to the bill, calling it “utter capitulation.”
- The Daily Mirror says there are “no winners” in the “welfare bill fiasco”, saying there is fear for thousands of vulnerable people as well as relief that the PM has chosen to delay the “most controversial Pip eligibility changes.”
- The Guardian describes the PM as being “bruised” by the whole ordeal. The paper says the last-minute changes were a “dramatic climbdown” after a “week of chaos.”
‘Migrants crossing the channel’
Two of the right-leaning tabloids lead with migrant crossings – a story that will undoubtedly rile up their readership.
- The Daily Mail says “20,000 this year and counting” as it says the number of migrants crossing the Channel is at a “record high.” The paper says it “witnessed scores awaiting traffickers” which took it past the “milestone not reached until mid-August in previous years.” The official government count stands at 19,982 crossings at the time of writing.
- The Sun calls it the “migrant tide”, reporting that the “French kit” – including a buggy which is pictured on the front splash, was “paid for by the UK” while the “cops don’t stop boats.”
A look at stories on the front pages of the UK newspapers
The i leads on the government being forced to “retreat” on its benefits cuts.
Wes Streeting is drawing up plans to make nurses’ lives easier, highlighting the role they played in helping him when he was diagnosed with cancer.
British tennis player Jack Draper makes the front splash after beating Argentinian Sebastián Báez with a dominant performance at Wimbledon.
The Daily Telegraph says the late concession to rebels has removed most of the £4.6bn savings the prime minister had pledged to deliver.
Cate Blanchett is pictured on the front page attending Wimbledon.
BBC boss Tim Davie is reportedly fighting for his job as pressure piles on him to explain why the Glastonbury “hate chant” towards the IDF was aired.
The Daily Express describes the benefits cuts as “total chaos” saying the PM made more concessions to “appease” the rebels.
Three unnamed bosses from the Countess of Chester hospital are being held on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in relation to the Lucy Letby case.
British tennis player Jack Draper is pictured on the front page.
The Daily Mirror describes yesterday’s climbdown as a “fiasco” saying there are now fears and uncertainty for thousands of vulnerable people.
Ella Toone is on the front page as the Lionesses head to Switzerland for the 2025 Euro. The reigning champions are in the toughest group!
The Guardian says the events have left the prime minister “bruised” and that he had to concede to avoid a Labour revolt.
The front page reports on the 20-plus civilians killed at a popular seafront cafe in Gaza after being hit by the IDF.
Europe has been suffering a record-breaking heatwave this summer (so far) with a man pictured on the front page in front of the Eiffel Tower.
Bias Exposed from UK newspapers
The Bill has passed in the Commons, but with such great concessions, it’s left the opposition angry, the right wing media gloating and the left, whilst happy the concessions have been made, wondering why the prime minister keeps trying to push through reforms that his voter base will not support.
- The i newspaper’s headline uses conflict and chaos framing, portraying Labour rebels as powerful and Starmer as weak—“force…to retreat” suggests loss of authority. The phrase “again” adds a sense of repeated failure, while “chaos in the Commons” amplifies the drama. It’s a classic tactic to personalise policy shifts as leadership crises, rather than focusing on the content or public impact of the legislation.
- The Daily Express’s headline uses hyperbolic and combative language—“UTTER CAPITULATION”—to frame the Prime Minister’s welfare compromise as total defeat. The capitalisation and quotation marks signal dramatic collapse and public scorn, turning policy adjustment into humiliation. It’s a tabloid-style tactic aimed at reinforcing perceptions of weak leadership and amplifying internal party turmoil.