‘Not good enough’: MP will not back Starmer over welfare reform

Montgomeryshire’s MP Steve Witherden said he will stick by his guns and again defy his Labour Government’s bid to push through welfare reforms this week.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has tried to appease around 100 rebel Labour MPs who were against his sweeping welfare reforms, saying they could place many into deeper poverty.

But his tweaks don’t go far enough for Mr Witherden who has raised his voice again to oppose the reforms.

Speaking to BBC Radio Wales, he said that he welcomed the government’s decision to listen to the “deep and sustained concerns from backbenchers, including myself,” who had stated they could not vote for a bill that would “arbitrarily take away support from many disabled people”.

But he added: “The government has now said the new rules will no longer affect people currently claiming PIP, but that they will apply to people claiming from November 2026, meaning those who apply after that date will not necessarily be eligible for the same level of support.

“This will mean people who become disabled after that point will be treated differently to those already claiming. This is systematically unfair, and as such, I still cannot vote for the bill when it comes before the House on Tuesday.”