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Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, home secretary Yvette Cooper and justice secretary Shabana Mahmood were among senior ministers who raised concerns about the looming spending review at a “tense” session of cabinet on Tuesday, according to people with knowledge of the meeting.
A “large minority” of the cabinet protested about planned spending reductions in their own departments as chancellor Rachel Reeves looks for savings to make her fiscal sums add up, one of the people added.
Ministers also flagged worries about plans for up to £6bn of welfare cuts expected to be set out next week by work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall.
Energy secretary Ed Miliband and leader of the House of Commons Lucy Powell were among those who raised concerns over these, the people said.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer allowed the meeting to go on longer than usual because of the strength of feeling in the room inside Downing Street. Multiple government figures talked to the Financial Times about the meeting but all asked to speak off the record.
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