13 weeks of payout 'not very much' - MP

A LABOUR MP has described the UK Government's plans to avert a rebellion on welfare cuts as “not very much really”.

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Dr Simon Opher, a GP and the MP for Stroud, told the BBC he is “going to rebel” in a vote and “a number of colleagues are in the same situation”.

The “non-negotiable” protections that Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall is to include in the Welfare Reform Bill are understood to include a guarantee that those who no longer qualify for personal independence payments (Pip) will still receive the payments for 13 weeks.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme yesterday, Dr Opher said: “It’s a slight delay in the disability cuts - it's 13 weeks rather than four weeks - so it’s something, but not very much really.