Welsh Labour MP to vote against disability benefit cuts

A Welsh Labour MP has told the BBC he will vote against the UK government's proposed cuts to disability benefits.

Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr MP Steve Witherden said he had taken the "very difficult decision" because he believed "really, really vulnerable people" would be placed at risk by the changes.

He is among Labour MPs across the UK who have particular concerns about plans to tighten some of the eligibility criteria for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) – which assess claimants using a scoring system.

Witherden said he believed the scoring changes were not being consulted upon, although they are referred to within the public consultation into the wider welfare reforms.

Witherden added that the cuts include "changes to the way you will be scored if you require assistance to go to the toilet, if you require assistance to eat, if you require assistance getting dressed".

It would see "a lot of people, a lot of my constituents, deprived of their PIP if it goes ahead".

Witherden said he believed it was "inappropriate" that MPs were being asked to vote on the PIP reforms in the coming months, despite being told a full impact assessment would not be published until the autumn.

The UK government previously announced that the changes to PIP and to Universal Credit would save around £5bn a year by the end of 2030 and get more people into work, but it is believed Wales will be hardest hit by any cuts because it has a higher proportion of claimants relative to its population size.

Witherden insisted he was not opposed to welfare reforms, saying that some aspects of the green paper, such as getting people back into work, were "positive".

But he maintained that his "feeling" was that the government should not be looking to make cuts.

He added: "We won in July what was effectively a cost-of-living election and I don't think it was a vote for further austerity.

"So, I feel rather than cuts we should be looking at wealth taxes… these are the kind of things we should be looking at rather than cutting welfare for disabled people."

Mr Witherden said that he had been clear since being elected that he would "speak up" for his constituents "whenever I thought there would be a proposal that could cause them harm and detriment and that's what I am doing here."

BBC Wales has contacted every Welsh Labour MP to ask whether they will be voting with the government to approve the welfare reforms – so far none has replied, except Steve Witherden.

However, Wrexham MP Andrew Ranger previously issued a statement saying that he could not support the changes to PIP in their "current form".

Witherden told BBC Wales that the welfare reforms had come up on the doorstep while he was campaigning ahead of the Runcorn-and-Helsby by-election, which Labour lost to Reform UK last week.

He admitted that next year's Senedd election would be "challenging" saying that he was concerned that with only a year to go, there was not enough time for the public to see enough positive change as a result of Sir Keir Starmer's agenda.

He said: "Unfortunately for the Senedd elections, we don't have that time because they're taking place in about a year's time so I am not naïve that those elections are going to be challenging.

"But I am speaking to people in Welsh Labour all the time and they are optimistic about their campaigning and about the approach they are going to take."

Mr Witherden said he believed that rethinking the PIP changes would be "absolutely crucial" if the UK government is to turn around its dwindling poll ratings.

Asked if he was angry about how things had gone so far for Sir Keir Starmer's administration, Mr Witherden said it was "hard not to be angry about some things".

"I like to think I got into politics for all the right reasons, I want to improve the lives of my constituents not make them worse. So It's very difficult not to get angry," he added.

Asked if he believed the government was listening to his concerns about PIP, Witherden said he "hoped so" but admitted he had not had "many" discussions with ministers about the welfare reforms.

Witherden said it "remained to be seen" whether there would be enough Labour rebels to defeat the government on welfare reforms, but said he was "one of a chorus" of MPs expressing concern.

"I would never want to speak for anyone else but I do think there is growing anger and growing discontent in particular about this PIP issue," he said.

"This is going to be a very, very big issue for a lot of MPs and a lot of people across the country."

Plaid Cymru's four MPs also plan to vote against the welfare changes.

One of them, Ann Davies, said: "Labour's planned £6bn cuts to welfare will plunge the most vulnerable in our society even deeper into poverty. These proposals are not only cruel, but they are also indefensible."

BBC Wales has contacted the Department of Work and Pensions for a response.