STEPHEN Crabb has given his first speech in the House of Commons since being named work and pensions secretary.

On Saturday it was announced that Mr Crabb would take over the role from Iain Duncan Smith, following his resignation on Friday.

Speaking this afternoon, the Conservative Preseli-Pembrokeshire MP said he hoped to build on success of predecessor, whose bold ambitions had already helped "transform people's lives", and allowed many to live more independently.

But, he confirmed the government had no further plans for welfare cuts, beyond those already announced

He said he planned to build on the support available to disabled people, and wanted to "start a new conversation" with disabled people, charities and businesses.

"Together we can do so much better for disabled people," said Mr Crabb.

Labour MP and Shadow work and pensions secretary, Owen Smith, welcomed what he described as Mr Crabb's "wholly inevitable U-turn".

He said 640,000 disabled people had been "in the firing line of the Prime Minister's budget", but slammed the government's claims of being a "one nation government".

Mr Crabb, who grew up in Haverfordwest and attended Tasker Milward school, had been Secretary of State for Wales since the summer of 2014.

The 43-year-old became MP for Preseli Pembrokeshire in the 2005.

Mr Duncan Smith’s shock resignation came in the wake of proposed benefit cuts to disability benefits.

However, the move "puzzled and disappointed" David Cameron after the Prime Minister said he had decided to rethink the policy.

Mr Crabb was among MPs to vote for cutting Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) benefits to new claimants earlier this month.

A few days later, his Conservative constituency office in Haverfordwest was vandalised, with the message 'Y do u hate the sick' sprayed onto the front of the building.