The Welsh Labour government was criticised at the weekend for being the only devolved administration not to shield tenants from the Tory bedroom tax.

Affected tenants and their families united with trade unionists at a 100-strong demonstration outside the Senedd on Saturday.

They demanded that First Minister Carwyn Jones halts the hated housing benefit cut by following steps already taken at Holyrood and Stormont.

Ministers in Northern Ireland have refused to comply with Westminster welfare reforms while the Scottish government has paid the bedroom tax for its poorest tenants.

“Many people cannot understand why people are not paying bedroom tax in Scotland and Northern Ireland but still paying in Wales,” said Cardiff and South Wales Against The Bedroom Tax spokesman Adam Johannes.

“We need Carwyn Jones to axe the Tory tax as the first step to axing the Tories completely.”

The Star has revealed shocking cases of the suffering caused by the bedroom tax in Wales since it was introduced in April 2012.

Double-amputee Phil Morgan was threatened with eviction by Swansea Council after the £14-a-week benefit cut saw him fall behind on his rent.

Housing associations have also come under fire, including Bridgend’s Vale 2 Coast (V2C), which offered tenants a Cadbury’s Creme Egg at Easter to make up for their misery.

Speaking at the demo on Saturday, V2C tenant Kay Harris said: “I am confronted with paying money I don’t have or downsizing to a smaller house that doesn’t exist.”

A Welsh government spokesperson said: “We have consistently expressed our concern about the scale, scope and speed of the UK government’s welfare reform.

“To help mitigate the effects of the bedroom tax and other changes to housing benefit, we made £1.3 million available to local authorities earlier this year to supplement discretionary housing payments. This enabled them to do more to help people cope with the changes.

“We are also investing £40m for the provision of smaller one and two-bedroom properties.”