LOCAL MP Rachel Gilmour raised concerns about benefits support directly with Sir Keir Starmer during Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) in the House of Commons on Wednesday (June 4)

It was Mrs Gilmour’s first PMQ question and addressed the issue of access to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) support for those in trying circumstances.

Mrs Gilmour spoke of the plight of a single mother in her Tiverton and Minehead constituency caring for a child with cancer and who was unable to work due to her caring responsibilities.

She said the mother since January did not have a sustainable income and had been trying to claim the Disability Living Allowance and Universal Credit to which she was entitled.

However, at every stage, the mother had encountered bureaucracy and ‘frustrating’ systems within the DWP.

Consequently, she was experiencing difficulties with her housing situation and was currently at risk of being made homeless.

Moreover, she was also out of pocket due to the backdating of DWP payments, and the fact that until recently, she had not been made aware of her ability to reclaim costs for journeys to and from her daughter’s hospital appointments while on Universal Credit.

Mrs Gilmour asked the Prime Minister if he could assure her, and others like her across the country, that his Government was doing all that it could to help.

She invited Sir Keir to a visit the constituency, which covers West Somerset and rural parts of the Culm Valley and Blackdown Hills and some parishes neighbouring Wellington.

Mrs Gilmour said the Prime Minister could then see the impact of such challenges first-hand.

The Prime Minister was also asked to work with Mrs Gilmour to find a solution for the mother.

Sir Keir said: “I thank her for raising this, and I am deeply sorry to hear about Molly’s situation.

“We are improving the lives of those who need it, but what I will do, with her permission, the Secretary of State of the DWP has just said to me, ‘I will look into the case’, and so if she could provide the details, I will make sure that it gets proper attention and that we can deal with the particular problem she has raised.

“I am grateful to her, and I am sure Molly is, for raising it, and I hope that now we can take the action that is necessary.”

Mrs Gilmour said after PMQs had ended: “Molly’s situation is an incredibly sad one, and I know that there will be others like her across the Tiverton and Minehead constituency and the rest of the UK.

“Following the Prime Minister’s response to my question, I am now writing to the DWP to resolve Molly’s difficulties in accessing Disability Living Allowance and Universal Credit, as well as working toward wider solutions for those in similar circumstances.

“I will always put constituents first, and I am glad that the Prime Minister and the Government are now aware of the challenges people face accessing DWP support.”