Withdraw Cuts to Disability Support – Steve Witherden MP

“The government must withdraw these proposals and ensure disabled voices are at the forefront of all future reforms.”

By Steve Witherden MP

I want to speak about working people. My constituency, Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr, holds a proud industrial heritage. Some may claim the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution is Telford, but I would encourage them to read up on Bersham.  

 In 2010, we witnessed the closure of our large chemical plant, once the world’s leading producer of phenol in the 1920s. We were also home to the last coal mine in North Wales, located in Rhostyllen, which closed in the late 1980s.  

 As is the case with many post-industrial areas, our region suffers from higher deprivation and increased rates of illness.   

When I look at these proposed cuts, especially the unjust tightening of eligibility criteria for Personal Independence Payment (PIP), I am filled with a deep concern for many of my constituents.  

Wales already has the highest poverty rates among disabled people in the UK and a greater reliance on PIP than other parts of the country. These cuts will hit Wales particularly hard, and they will hit my constituents particularly hard too.   

I will vote against this. The government must withdraw these proposals and ensure disabled voices are at the forefront of all future reforms. We urgently need a welfare system that supports people when they need it most, so they can continue to live, work, and contribute to society, not one that pushes them further into poverty and destitution.  

We know that health inequality and wealth inequality go hand in hand.   

I call on the government to introduce a wealth tax to redress the current system that sees the wealthiest paying proportionately less tax than the average person. A 2% tax on assets over £10 million could raise up to £24 billion a year, affecting only around 20,000 individuals.   

This could fund a real transformation in our public services and allow us to face the future with a fitter, happier, and more productive workforce.  

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• Steve Witherden is the MP for Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr. You can follow him on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X and Bluesky.
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