Government welfare reform U-turn 'not enough', says Powys MP
Speaking on BBC Radio Wales on Friday, June 27, Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr MP Steve Witherden said concessions in the governments planned cuts to welfare 'is not enough' for him to support the proposal.
Mr Witherden was among the first Welsh Labour MP's to criticise the proposed cuts back in March, with the UK government saying it had listened and reached an agreement on the proposal that included a rollback on some of the cuts last week.
Under the proposed reforms, people who currently receive Personal Independence Payments (PIP) or the health element of universal credit will continue to do so, while planned cuts will reportedly impact future claimants.
Speaking on BBC Radio Wales, Mr Witherden said: 'I feel it is not enough for me. I came to the Labour movement from the Trade Union movement and in there we always opposed new terms and conditions for new starters. I do still have concerns that someone post-November 2026 would be treated differently to someone under the current system.
'We're talking about people who can't eat unassisted, people who can't go to the toilet unassisted. The score that they would obtain would be different and it would be insufficient to meet the threshold.
'It'll be two different systems treating people who become disabled at two different times.
'It would still amount for approximately £4,500 less annually for a recipient so it's something I feel very uncomfortable with. It amounts to an almost £7billion cut annually from what's being spent on disability benefits at the moment.'
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 during a second reading on Tuesday, July 1.
When asked what he thinks other Labour MP's will do when it comes to voting on the reforms, Mr Witherden added: 'It's very difficult to say as this is very recent, with the announcements coming overnight.
'I only ever speak for myself and never for colleagues, so it will be interesting to see how these proposed changes are greeted.
'I want the welfare state to always be there for people who find themselves in that situation and I wouldn't want to see that change for people coming into the system.'
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Daily Record
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Daily Mirror
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