A LABOUR MP has warned ministers against “draconian cuts” ahead of expected welfare reforms, cautioning that changes could deepen tensions between the government and backbenchers.

Rachael Maskell said she had received a “flurry of emails” from constituents alarmed by potential cuts and urged a “carrot not a stick” approach to reform

Speaking to the BBC’s Westminster Hour on Sunday, the MP for York Central said that she had “picked up […] deep deep concern” from colleagues and called for a “compassionate system and not taking just draconian cuts.”

Reforms to the welfare system are expected ahead of the Spring Statement at the end of this month, as Chancellor Rachel Reeves will likely look to make a raft of public spending savings given tighter fiscal headroom.

Ministers have defended the need for change, citing an “unsustainable rise in welfare spending.”

Meanwhile, more than a dozen charities have written to Ms Reeves, urging her to “safeguard” disability benefits in the upcoming statement, warning that hundreds of thousands of disabled households could be pushed into poverty otherwise.