Plaid Cymru: First Minister 'happy to support welfare reforms with no idea of impact on Wales'
The original plans on welfare reforms restricted eligibility for the personal independence payment (PIP) and cut the health-related element of universal credit.
Plaid Cymru are accusing Eluned Morgan of 'failing to condemn the UK Labour Government’s two-tier welfare system reforms' .
The original plans on welfare reforms restricted eligibility for the personal independence payment (PIP) and cut the health-related element of universal credit.
But the changes to PIP will now only apply to new claims from November 2026, while everyone who currently receives universal credit will have their incomes protected in real terms.
The original changes to the welfare system were set to affect 190,000 people in Wales, with a cost of £470 million to the Welsh economy.
The Plaid Cymru leader, Rhun ap Iorwerth, went on to accuse the First Minister of having ‘no issue’ with the concept of a ‘two-tier welfare system’ which will ‘disproportionately impact vulnerable people in Wales.
Plaid Cymru leader, Rhun ap Iorwerth MS, said:
“Members of Parliament will be voting on Starmer’s cruel reforms to welfare. Reforms that will disproportionately impact vulnerable people in Wales, but disappointingly, only opposed by a handful of Labour MPs who represent our communities.
“Last week, I urged the First Minister to direct Labour MPs from Wales to vote against the proposals. She wouldn’t and in fact, on Sunday, she told Radio Wales that she’s only the leader of her party’s Senedd Members and that Labour MPs representing Welsh seats vote according to the Westminster whip.
“I’m interested in why the First Minister said last minute changes to the reforms to try to avoid a catastrophic vote loss were welcome concessions, even though they still push 1000s into poverty and create a 2-tier system.
“It’s clear that the First Minister has no issue with the idea of a two-tier welfare system, at least not enough to stand up to Labour MPs in Westminster".
In an interview with Bauer Media Group, the First Minister responded and said:
"I am really relieved for the 200,000 people in Wales who were really worried about losing their PIP payments.
"We lobbied. We made the case to the UK government, made sure, that, the prime minister recognised Wales was going be be hit harder than other parts of the country. I'm really pleased that he listened".
Research by the Tax Payer Alliance reveals the local authority area with the highest number of PIP claimants in the UK per 1,000 people was Blaenau Gwent , with 211 per 1,000.
6 local authorities in Wales made the top ten areas with the most claimants per 1,000 people.
The ten local authority areas with the most claimants per 1,000 people were:
- Blaenau Gwent, with 211 per 1,000
- Merthyr Tydfil, with 204 per 1,000
- Knowsley, with 198 per 1,000
- Neath Port Talbot, with 195 per 1,000
- Caerphilly, with 188 per 1,000
- Hartlepool, with 187 per 1,000
- Blackpool, with 185 per 1,000
- Torfaen, with 177 per 1,000
- Sunderland, with 173 per 1,000
- Rhondda Cynon Taf, with 173 per 1,000
In response to the statistics, Eluned Morgan said:
"I think what we've got to do is to get more people into work.
"That's not something that we should shy away from.
"I think a lot of people in Wales do want to work. We've got to provide them with a means to get into work, and that's what I'm interested in doing."
Mr ap Iorwerth went on to contrast Labour in Wales’ 'failure to stand up for people in Wales', saying Plaid Cymru offers 'political renewal, based on principle not polling.'
The next Senedd elections take place in May 2026.