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Labour leader tells prime minister measures in welfare bill could adversely affect as many as 7,000 cancer patients David Cameron has refused to back down over plans to cut up to £94 a week from some sickness benefits – a move that could affect as many as 7,000 cancer patients. He was challenged over the change at prime minister’s questions by the Labour leader, Ed Miliband. Cameron claimed Miliband had been shown to be a weak leader of a divided party, and claimed his attack was simply a smokescreen. Miliband – sounding more animated than normal – hit back at the prime minister, saying: “What an absolute disgrace to describe talking about cancer patients in this country as a smokescreen.” Cameron’s spokeswoman said afterwards that “the benefit changes will affect cancer patients that have been in remission for over a year”, but disputed claims that as many as 7,000 patients would be affected, saying the true number was not known. Miliband raised the issue in the wake of cancer charities complaining that the welfare bill going through the Commons on Wednesday night would time-limit contributory employment support allowance to a year. Some will be compensated by income- related employment and support allowance (ESA), but others, including those with a working partner or with income or capital, would lose entitlement to benefit completely. The broad changes to ESA, announced in the spending review, are designed to save £1.2bn net. Cameron accused Labour of raising the issue solely due to embarrassment that it was going to vote against the welfare bill in the Commons at its third despite saying it was in favour of tough welfare measures. An attempt by Labour to stage a Commons vote on the issue on Monday night was blocked by Conservative whips. During the opening exchanges between the two leaders, it appeared as if Cameron was not aware of the specific controversy about ESA. Miliband asked: “When the prime minister signed off his welfare bill, did he know that it would make 7,000 cancer patients worse off by as much as £94 a week?” Cameron said that was “simply not the case”, telling him: “We are using exactly the same definition of people who are suffering and are terminally ill as the last government. We want to make sure those people are helped and protected. “If you are in favour of welfare reform, you want to encourage people to do the right thing, it’s no good talking about it, you’ve got to vote for it.” Miliband said Macmillan Cancer Support had raised concerns about the bill’s measures for a year, and that Cameron should know what was in his own legislation. “These are people who have worked hard all their lives, who have done the right thing, who have paid their taxes and, when they are in need, the prime minister is taking money away from them,” he said. “How can it be right that people with cancer, 7,000 people with cancer, are losing £94 a week?” Cameron said: “All we see here is a Labour party desperate not to support welfare reform and trying to find an excuse to get off supporting welfare reform. “Anyone who is terminally ill gets immediate access to the higher level of support, and we will provide that to all people who are unable to work. “That is the guarantee we make, but you have got to stop wriggling off your responsibilities and back the welfare reform you talk about.” The shadow employment minister, Stephen Timms, wrote to the work and pensions minister, Chris Grayling, expressing dismay that no time had been allocated to debate and vote on the cancer issue in the Commons during the first day of two days of debate on the bill. He sought an undertaking from Grayling that the issue would be debated on Wednesday – but there is little likelihood of ministers changing a policy that saves so much money for the Treasury. On Monday, the welfare minister, Lord Freud, supplied a written answer defending the proposal, saying: “A time limit of one year strikes a balance between allowing people with longer-term conditions to adjust to their health condition and provides a level of access to contributory benefits that is appropriate for contributory benefits.” The Department of Work and Pensions defended its plans by saying that if a cancer patient is receiving treatment or is between treatments, they will be on the employment support allowance support group, and will not be in danger of losing benefit. But if following a medical assessment the cancer patient is deemed to be fit to work, they will go into the ESA work related activity group and after 12 months, they will be put onto income-related ESA, with the result that if they have savings, they will then lose benefit. Macmillan claims the means testing threshold is set so low that a cancer patient could lose all their ESA benefit if their partner earns more than just £7,500 a year. The DWP pointed out that Professor Malcolm Harrington — responsible for overseeing work capability assessment (WCA) on behalf of the DWP — is in discussion with cancer groups over any changes to WCA. The Macmillan cancer charity later said: “Under the government’s proposals, people eligible for employment and support allowance (ESA) who have paid national insurance but are not considered severely ill, will only receive this support for one year. “After this time, the support will be dependent on your financial circumstances, and people with cancer will lose their benefit if their partner earns as little as £149 per week. As a result, some will be pushed into poverty as it often takes longer than a year to return to work following a cancer diagnosis.” Ciarán Devane, the Macmillan chief executive, said: “Many cancer patients will lose this crucial benefit simply because they have not recovered quickly enough. “The majority want to return to work, as it can represent a milestone in their recovery and a return to normality in addition to the obvious financial benefits. “This proposal in the welfare reform bill will have a devastating impact on many cancer patients. We are urging the government to change their plans to reform key disability benefits to ensure cancer patients and their families are not pushed into poverty.” Professor Jane Maher, the chief medical officer of Macmillan, added: “In my experience, one year is simply not long enough for many people to recover from cancer. “The serious physical and psychological side-effects of cancer can last for many months, even years, after treatment has finished. It is crucial that patients are not forced to return to work before they are ready.” Welfare David Cameron Ed Miliband PMQs House of Commons Patrick Wintour guardian.co.uk