Controversial tax credits changes which would have hit hundreds of thousands of West Midlands workers are being scrapped, Chancellor George Osborne has announced.

During his Autumn Statement, Mr Osborne said he had listened to concerns and acted.

Fellow Tory Andrew Mitchell, MP for Sutton Coldfield, was among those to encourage the Chancellor to rethink cuts to the benefit.

Unveiling his Spending Review in the House of Commons, the Chancellor said he could abandon the controversial cuts of £4.4 billion due to improvements in public finances.

He said he would still be able to deliver the promised £12 billion in welfare cuts over the next five years while balancing the books by the end of the Parliament.

Mr Osborne said today: “I’ve had representations that these changes to tax credits should be phased in. I’ve listened to the concerns. I hear and understand them.

“And because I’ve been able to announce today an improvement in the public finances, the simplest thing to do is not to phase these changes in, but to avoid them altogether.

“Tax credits are being phased out anyway as we introduce universal credit. What that means is that the tax credit taper rate and thresholds remain unchanged.”