Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens has in the past broken party whip over benefit cuts, but now she’s part of a government implementing similar cuts. Plaid Cymru MP Liz Saville-Roberts has asked whether she’ll resign over the issue.
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00:00Over in Westminster, the Secretary of State for Wales, Joe Stevens, has been facing questions
00:07over a party's recent decision to cut benefits. The UK Labour Party has said it's to encourage
00:12people into work and help them thrive while working. But Liz Saville-Roberts, Plaid Cymru's
00:17Westminster leader, doesn't agree.
00:19Back in 2015, the Secretary of State and I walked through the same voting lobby against
00:25what she then described as despicable Tory welfare cuts, and she dared to break the Labour
00:31whip to do so back then. Given this evidence of her strong convictions on the issue, how
00:37can she justify remaining in a cabinet intent on implementing Tory-style welfare cuts?
00:46We have inherited a Tory welfare system that is the worst of all worlds. It's got the wrong
00:53incentives, it discourages people from working, the people who really need a safety net are
00:57still not getting the dignity and support that they need, and the taxpayer is funding
01:02an ever-spiralling bill. It's unsustainable, it's indefensible and it's unfair. Our principles
01:09for reform are clear. Supporting those who need support, restoring trust and fairness
01:13in the system, fixing that broken assessment process and disincentives, and supporting
01:18people to start, stay and succeed in work. She should support that as well.
01:24Liz Saville-Roberts is a long-standing Plaid MP and says she remembers back almost a decade
01:28ago voting alongside Jo Stevens when the Labour MP went against her party's orders and voted
01:34against similar cuts proposed by the then-Conservative UK government. With Stevens' Labour government
01:38now implementing similar cuts, she asks her whether her resignation is now on the cards.
01:43Elaine's Hair Salon in Llanrug, Pitianpatian Nursery in Llanwnda, care homes and GP surgeries
01:49across Dwyfor Meirionnydd, they tell me that national insurance hikes coming in just a
01:53few weeks will stop them hiring new staff. Her government says they're cutting welfare
01:59to get people into jobs. What jobs?
02:05Plaid Cymru's manifesto for the general election had £5 billion of unfunded commitments. If
02:11her party was in power, we'd be facing the same legacy that we had from the party opposite—a
02:17£22 billion black hole, which has meant we have had to take difficult decisions. But
02:22in her constituency, they will want to have more investment in our NHS, more investment
02:27in our public services, more investment to support businesses. Her party voted against
02:34it all in the Welsh Budget.
02:37If her government agreed with her counterparts in Cardiff, we would have the money from the
02:41Crown Estate as well.
02:43We've seen a clear disconnect between UK and Welsh Labour, with both sides trying to
02:47dismiss issues between the sides. But conversations surrounding Crown Estate devolution, national
02:52insurance and the future of Welsh universities will continue until Labour colleagues in Westminster
02:57and Cardiff Bay can get on the same page on the issues.