Bishop of Bath and Wells Peter Price joins attack on Welfare cuts

The Bishop of Bath and Wells is among a number of leading clerics who signed a written attack on welfare reforms.

They say there is "nothing moral" about leaving families on benefits.

The letter in the Sunday Telegraph, endorsed by the Archbishops of Canterbury, was endorsed by 43 clerics.

It claimed that capping benefit rises at 1 per cent will have a "deeply disproportionate" effect on children.

But Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary, told ITV News last night: "This is about fairness. People who are paying taxes, working very hard, have hardly seen any increases in their salary and yet, under the last government, the welfare bill rose by some 60 per cent to £200 billion.

"That means they have to pay for that under their taxes, which is simply not fair."

The Most Rev Justin Welby, who will be formally enthroned at Canterbury Cathedral on March 21, said "children and families will pay the price" if plans to change the system go ahead in their current form.

"As a civilised society, we have a duty to support those among us who are vulnerable and in need.

"When times are hard, that duty should be felt more than ever, not disappear or diminish," he said.