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In her monthly blog for Caerphilly Observer, Plaid Cymru Senedd Member for South Wales East, Delyth Jewell, discusses the recent Westminster vote on welfare reforms

The shambolic scenes in Westminster this week were shameful – but nothing like as shameful as the welfare cuts which Starmer and Reeves were trying to push through.

Much of the press attention surrounding these changes leading up to the vote had focused on whether the cuts would pass – that is, whether Keir Starmer had enough numbers to carry the cruelty through.  

But as I said in First Minister’s Questions this week, the focus shouldn’t just have been on votes: from the start, the focus should have been on the torment that was about to be inflicted on real people’s lives.

We had seen concession after supposed concession offered up by 10 Downing Street, in their increasingly desperate attempts to get Labour MPs to vote against their conscience and against their constituents. 

A decision was made, for example, only to inflict the greatest pain on those poor souls who would become disabled in the future. As though their lives, and their ability to survive in our society somehow mattered less.

The decision to treat future claimants as the collateral needed to get a vote passed has been as myopic as it is mean.  Why should people be treated differently because of what year they happen to have become disabled?  What kind of fairness is that?

My old colleagues at Citizens Advice have warned about the increased anxiety being felt by claimants – many of whom believe the changes are already in place, and so haven’t been claiming what they should be. 

As I told the First Minister and the Senedd this week, these changes are arbitrary, they risk bringing in a two-tiered system, and they are causing anguish and pain before they’re even introduced. I’m proud that my Plaid Cymru colleagues in Westminster voted against these cruel changes – and I think it’s shameful that so many Labour MPs supported them.

These changes will hit Wales disproportionately. It continues to be dismaying and insulting that the UK Labour Government has refused to publish a Wales-specific impact assessment – and has left it instead to charities to work out just how badly our communities will be affected.

Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent and Merthyr will be amongst the worst affected areas across the entire UK. No short-term tweaks made to win votes in the House of Commons can fix these rotten reforms. Shame on the UK Government for forcing them through.