Brecon and Radnorshire MP Chris Davies has stood by his support for the government’s controversial tax credit cuts.

The Conservative MP had voted against amendments tabled by the Labour Party that had sought to reverse cuts to tax credits paid to working families on low incomes.

The Liberal Democrats said figures from the House of Commons Library showed 3,700 families in Brecon and Radnorshire would lose on average £750 a year. Across the UK more than three million working families would see their incomes reduced.

Despite the government seeing off opposition in the House of Commons Chancellor George Osborne’s proposals have been blocked by the House of Lords.

Peers voted by a majority of 17 to back Labour calls for the government to provide full financial redress to the millions of tax credit claimants who will be affected when their entitlements are reduced.

The government suffered a second defeat when the Lords backed a delay in the cuts until an assessment of their financial impact is carried out.

Mr Davies said the chancellor had indicated he would have addressed concerns at families facing a sharp drop in their incomes.

"The chancellor has indicated the concerns would have been addressed and they will have to be now," said Mr Davies.

Welsh Liberal Democrat leader and Welsh Assembly Member for Brecon and Radnorshire Kirsty Williams criticised the Conservative policy.

She said: "The changes to tax credits will hammer families in Brecon and Radnorshire. The move completely undermines any claim the Tories have of being on the side of working families.

"What makes this even worse is that 5,400 children in our area will now be forced to live in poorer households, reducing their life chances and making it harder for their parents to make ends meet.

"I am pleased that Lib Dems are opposing this measure. We worked hard in coalition to ensure that work would always pay more than choosing to remain on benefits. It is a disgrace the Conservatives are now undermining this good work."

Ms Williams also said independent studies had shown a new national minimum wage wouldn’t make up the losses, as claimed by the Conservatives.

Conservative Mr Davies said: "As usual Kirsty Williams is playing politics. On a single measure she may be correct but as a package, which the government is offering, most families will be better off."

The MP also said under the previous coalition government the Lib Dems had supported ’harsher’ reforms and said welfare reform was a manifesto commitment.

Mr Davies had also voted in the Commons against an amendment that would have forced the government to negotiate with the European Union for reduction in VAT on sanitary products.

The five per cent rate, which the government says is the lowest allowed under EU law, has been dubbed the ’tampon tax’ by campaigners.

Mr Davies said he ’completely disagreed’ with the EU having control of the issue but said: "It is to be argued in the European Parliament and I hope our representatives there will be taking the lead."

The government has said it would need the agreement of every EU member state to remove VAT on sanitary products.

Earlier in the week Mr Davies also backed the government’s proposals to prevent MPs from countries other than England voting on matters the speaker of the house has decided are only applicable to England.

Mr Davies said he supported the measure as a response to devolution.

Speaking in the Commons, Mr Davies said some children from his constituency travel to school in England while he said his own wife works as a radiographer, treating his constituents, in Hereford which he said made it difficult to decide which bills affect only England.