Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens has dismissed suggestions of a rift with First Minister Eluned Morgan after their public disagreement over UK government plans to reform disability and sickness benefits.
The Labour colleagues appeared at odds earlier this month when Stevens stated Morgan had “welcomed” Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ welfare changes a claim the First Minister later contradicted in the Senedd. “I speak for myself. I speak for the Welsh government,” Morgan emphasized at the time, while expressing concern about the impact of benefit cuts on vulnerable recipients.
Stevens maintained the pair enjoy “a very good relationship” and pointed to their successful collaboration on securing Wales’ record budget settlement last autumn. She cited a March letter from Morgan to Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall that acknowledged the need for welfare system reform as evidence of their alignment on the issue’s fundamentals.
“The current system is indefensible, unsustainable and unfair,” Stevens said, while declining to directly address whether she had mischaracterized Morgan’s position. The Welsh government offered no comment on the apparent discrepancy between the First Minister’s public statements and the letter referenced by Stevens.
The exchange highlights ongoing tensions between Cardiff and Westminster over social security policy, even within Labour’s ranks, as the UK government proceeds with its welfare reform agenda.
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