The trap facing 212 Labour MPs that could stop Britain's benefits bill EVER being cut

More than half the country's Labour MPs have more people in their seats claiming disability benefits than the size of their election majorities.

Labour has 366 seats in England and Wales.

A total of 212 of those have more constituents claiming personal independence payments (Pip) than their respective MPs' majority.

Wes Streeting has 6,284 Pip claimants in his Ilford North seat, analysis by The Times revealed.

But his majority is just 528.

As a result, any move by Labour to slash Britain's ballooning benefits bill could instantly infuriate those claimants - and leave those 212 MPs at risk of being given the boot by voters.

Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden has a majority of 9,188 votes - but 11,646 Pip claimants.

Mr McFadden sparked outrage months ago when it emerged he felt every meeting boiled down to "who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others".

He is in charge of delivering the reforms to the country's benefits system.

Around the country, 89 Labour MPs have double the number of Pip claimants as votes in their majority.

They run an even greater risk of losing their seats if ministers finally decide to end the tax-funded handouts.

Some 4.1 million people now receive the benefit, as paid for by hard-working Britons.

And as it stands, the cost of Pip is expected to shoot up to £45billion every year by 2030, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility.

That amounts to an increase of around £19billion in just six years - more than enough to fix the holes in the defence budget which prompted ex-Defence Secretary John Healey to resign.

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The Prime Minister claims he wants to reduce welfare spending, but has rejected demands to fund higher defence expenditure through doing exactly that.

The Times points out that Mr Burnham has a majority of 9,231 but a Pip claimant population of 8,776 - a wafer-thin margin of just 455 people.

Just days ago he claimed national security “cannot come at the expense of social security” in a Commons admission which led Kemi Badenoch to brand Labour "the Welfare Party".

One moderate Labour MP revealed there were some MPs "who will oppose any kind of restraint on welfare".

"The debate requires careful coalition building," they said. The problem is some of the architects of the last rebellion are not capable of negotiating or listening."

And last night Mrs Badenoch's Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Helen Whately warned: "Welfare should be a safety net, not a lifestyle choice. Yet Labour have made benefits easier to claim and jobs harder to get.

"Reform of welfare takes courage. It also requires a mandate from the public. Labour has neither.

"Only the Conservatives have a plan to cut the welfare bill, tighten Pip eligibility for lower-level mental health conditions and help more people back into work, getting Britain working again."

The Department for Work and Pensions said: "The Timms review interim report made clear that Pip is no longer fit for purpose. The recommendations from the final report, due in autumn, will pave the way for sustainable reform.

"This comes on top of action we are already taking action to fix the broken welfare system, including by increasing face-to-face assessments and extending award review periods to deliver savings of around £2billion while removing unnecessary pressure on disabled people."