Welfare reform U-turn not enough, says MP

The planned reforms have been met with an outcry of opposition as people fear for their finances if they get the green light

A Welsh MP has rejected the UK government's concessions to party rebels over its proposed welfare benefits reforms.

Sir Keir Starmer's government faces a significant rebellion to the planned cuts, with many MPs supporting a bid to block them and the Welsh government also officially opposed them.

The UK government said it had listened and reached a "clear agreement", including a rollback on some of the cuts.

But Steve Witherden, who represents Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr and was one of the first Labour MPs to publicly criticise the plans, said the offer - described as a significant climbdown - was "not enough".

He added he was "uncomfortable" with a two-tier system in which the planned cuts would only affect future claimants.

"It still amounts to an almost £7bn cut annually to what's being spent on disability benefits at the moment," he told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

Stephen Kinnock, a UK government minister and MP for Aberafan Maesteg, said he was confident the revised welfare reforms would pass in the House of Commons on Tuesday.

Following the concessions made on Thursday night, people who receive Personal Independence Payments (Pip) or the health element of Universal Credit will continue to do, with planned cuts only hitting future claimants.

The government made the climbdown after facing the prospect of defeat in the Commons if it failed to meet the demands of more than 100 backbenchers.

No. 10 said Sir Keir had listened to MPs "who support the principle of reform but are worried about the pace of change".

Witherden is one of five Welsh Labour MPs who signed the rebel amendment to the UK government's plans.

Another, Newport West and Islwyn MP Ruth Jones, said she was "relieved because it shows that the government is listening and that's really, really important because we want to go forward together".

"I never had any problem with the principles. It was the process that was the issue," she told BBC Wales at the Welsh Labour conference in Llandudno.

She said she would read the government's proposals carefully before deciding how to vote.

"I've got to read the details first. I can't commit to anything until I've read the details," she said.

Steve Witherden was one of the first Labour MPs to publicly criticise the UK government's reform plans

In its evidence to the welfare reform plan, the Welsh government said there was "overwhelming" opposition among disabled people.

First Minister Eluned Morgan said: "I'm really pleased that the prime minister has listened to the concerns of the public.

"We've been consistent in our concerns to the UK government, because we know there was a disproportionate effect on people in Wales, some of our really vulnerable people were really concerned, and now the prime minister has listened, has changed his mind, that's a good thing."

But Witherden said the concessions had not gone far enough and meant people would be "treated differently" based on when they became disabled or began claiming benefits.

"We're talking about people who can't eat unassisted, people who can't go to the toilet unassisted," he said.

"It'll be two different systems treating people who've become disabled at two different times. So it would still amount to approximately £4,500 annually less for a Pip recipient."

Kinnock said he had "huge respect" for colleagues standing up for their constituents, but that had to be balanced with "the need for reform".

The welfare system is run by the UK government, but the concession has been welcomed by the Welsh government's deputy first minister Huw Irranca-Davies.

He said the Welsh government had "made clear its discomfort as well at the proposals, because we knew of the impact on the people here in Wales".

Additional reporting by Matthew Webb