One of Southampton’s MPs has explained why he backed a watered-down welfare bill after demanding change at the first hurdle.

Darren Paffey, Labour MP for Southampton Itchen, was among the 335 who voted for the reformed bill on Tuesday night.

But the decision was not black and white, he explained, as he initially rebelled against the proposed bill after it was announced.

Creating new job opportunities and getting people into work in Southampton is something Darren is keen to deliver, but not at the expense of others, he said.

“People are living longer with more health conditions, and in many cases that should not mean they cannot participate in the world of work”, he said.

He added: “For some, absolutely, as their conditions are so severe they cannot be expected to work, and they should be supported.

“But for those who can work, there are new opportunities we need to make, and this includes our investment in job centres – by reforming them – and uplifting Universal Credit for those who claim it.

“The problem I had, and I was very clear from the start, was that Personal Independent Payments (PIP) are not about getting people to work. Everyone who claims PIP needs it.

“Many are in work, others are not. I didn’t see the link between getting people back into work and cutting PIP.

“I told the government that unless things changed, I couldn’t support a bill that had that in it.”

READ MORE: How did Southampton MPs vote on controversial welfare reforms?

Recent data revealed that some 15,696 people in Southampton were receiving PIP as of April this year.

This is up from 7,925 in April 2019, TaxPayers' Alliance figures show.

Around 7,079 people in the Southampton Itchen constituency are in receipt of PIP.

Darren said: “If you are going to make any changes you need to consult those who are going to be most affected by it.

“At the first point there had been no consultation with disabled people and those who would be affected by it and that was a problem.

“The bill is now in a much better shape than it was and it deals with some of the changes we were asking for.

“If the government goes back on any of those or if the assurances are not enough, I will reserve the right to vote against it.”

MPs will continue to scrutinise the bill when it returns to the House of Commons on Wednesday, July 9.