PRIME MINISTER Sir Keir Starmer is on a collision course with his own MPs after he ruled out any U-turn in his assault on welfare benefits today.

MPs across Labour had been hoping for a reversal of winter fuel benefit cuts, particularly following last week’s disastrous local election results.

But Downing Street declared today that it was digging in, telling critics that “there will not be a change to the government’s policy.”

Sir Keir’s official spokesman added that cutting benefits for 10 million pensioners had been a “difficult decision.”

“It was one that we had to take to bring about economic stability, repair the public finances following the £22 billion black hole left by the previous government,” he said.

There had been hope that the unpopular policy would be at least modified before next winter, but it seems clear that Chancellor Rachel Reeves — blamed by many MPs for the government’s malaise — has strong-armed the Prime Minister into sticking to renewed austerity.

The intransigence sets the scene for a full-scale parliamentary confrontation over the huge cuts to disability benefits that Ms Reeves will be forcing through over the summer.

A large number of MPs are declaring themselves ready to rebel, their resolve strengthened by the local election results, which indicate that most will lose their seats at the next time of asking without a major course correction.

“We won’t be blown off course and it’s that mindset and focus that has allowed us to make the progress we have,” Sir Keir’s press secretary said.

Most MPs cannot identify the progress in question.

Presently whipless, former shadow chancellor John McDonnell said that only scrapping the winter fuel cut and “dropping completely plans to cut benefits will show that” Sir Keir really “gets it.”

Poplar and Limehouse MP Apsana Begum said that “standing up for communities put most at risk by 14 years of austerity — the elderly and disabled — should be the priority.”

The fuel allowance cut “must be reversed, along with dropping plans to cuts benefits,” she added.

Independent MP Zarah Sultana said “The Labour government was wrong to cut winter fuel payments from millions of pensioners last September — and it’s still wrong now.

“I voted against it then. It must be fully reversed now.”