Keir Starmer defeats two-child benefit cap rebellion - how did your MP vote?
Rebel MPs flopped as they attempted to deal an embarrassing blow to the new Labour government.
Angela Rayner asked about two-child benefit cap
Sir Keir Starmer easily defeated his first major backbench rebellion last night since the election, as a number of high-profile Labour MPs hoped to force his hand.
An SNP amendment to the King’s Speech calling for the abolition of the two-child benefit cap was defeated by 363 to 103.
Labour MPs had been urged to “vote with their conscience” and support a Commons amendment to scrap the benefit policy.
However MPs complained that the Government’s new whips had been using too much stick, and not enough carrot, to cajole them into the right voting lobby.
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn urged Government backbenchers to rebel after Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle selected a King’s Speech amendment pressing for the policy to be abolished “immediately”.
The SNP proposal was backed by Plaid Cymru, the Green Party and other MPs, including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn – who is now an Independent.
Several Labour MPs have backed calls for the policy, introduced under the Tories in 2015, to be axed.
In the end just seven Labour MPs voted with the SNP motion, including former chancellor John McDonnell, Rebecca Long-Bailey and Richard Burgon.
42 Labour MPs abstained, including Diane Abbott and Rosie Duffield, both of whom had loudly slammed the policy.
The current policy, announced by George Osborne in 2015, restricts child welfare payments to the first two children born to most families.
Speaking during the debate on Monday, Labour’s Kim Johnson said the “punitive policy needs to be consigned to the dustbin of history where it belongs”.
Tory former cabinet minister Suella Braverman also warned the policy was “putting more children and families into relative poverty”.
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The current policy, announced by George Osborne in 2015, restricts child welfare payments to the first two children born to most families.
Speaking during the debate on Monday, Labour’s Kim Johnson said the “punitive policy needs to be consigned to the dustbin of history where it belongs”.
Tory former cabinet minister Suella Braverman also warned the policy was “putting more children and families into relative poverty”.
The Government has said work is under way on its plans to tackle child poverty, although it has stopped short of committing to ending the two-child benefit cap.
Labour also defeated amendments by The Conservatives - which demanded a commitment to spending 3% of GDP on defence - and the LibDems, which called for action on healthcare and sewage dumping.
Votes in favour of abolishing the two-child cap
- Sorcha Eastwood Alliance
- Carla Lockhart Democratic Unionist Party
- Gavin Robinson Democratic Unionist Party
- Jim Shannon Democratic Unionist Party
- Sammy Wilson Democratic Unionist Party
- Siân Berry Green Party
- Ellie Chowns Green Party
- Carla Denyer Green Party
- Adrian Ramsay Green Party
- Shockat Adam Independent
- Jeremy Corbyn Independent
- Alex Easton Independent
- Adnan Hussain Independent
- Ayoub Khan Independent
- Iqbal Mohamed Independent
- Apsana Begum Labour
- Richard Burgon Labour
- Ian Byrne Labour
- Imran Hussain Labour
- Rebecca Long-Bailey Labour
- John McDonnell Labour
- Zarah Sultana Labour
- Gideon Amos Liberal Democrat
- Steff Aquarone Liberal Democrat
- Josh Babarinde Liberal Democrat
- Alison Bennett Liberal Democrat
- Alex Brewer Liberal Democrat
- Jess Brown-Fuller Liberal Democrat
- Charlotte Cane Liberal Democrat
- Wendy Chamberlain Liberal Democrat
- Danny Chambers Liberal Democrat
- Chris Coghlan Liberal Democrat
- Victoria Collins Liberal Democrat
- Daisy Cooper Liberal Democrat
- Adam Dance Liberal Democrat
- Steve Darling Liberal Democrat
- Ed Davey Liberal Democrat
- Bobby Dean Liberal Democrat
- Lee Dillon Liberal Democrat
- Will Forster Liberal Democrat
- Zöe Franklin Liberal Democrat
- Andrew George Liberal Democrat
- Sarah Gibson Liberal Democrat
- Rachel Gilmour Liberal Democrat
- Olly Glover Liberal Democrat
- Marie Goldman Liberal Democrat
- Tom Gordon Liberal Democrat
- Sarah Green Liberal Democrat
- Monica Harding Liberal Democrat
- Pippa Heylings Liberal Democrat
- Wera Hobhouse Liberal Democrat
- Christine Jardine Liberal Democrat
- Liz Jarvis Liberal Democrat
- Clive Jones Liberal Democrat
- Paul Kohler Liberal Democrat
- James MacCleary Liberal Democrat
- Ben Maguire Liberal Democrat
- Helen Maguire Liberal Democrat
- Mike Martin Liberal Democrat
- Brian Mathew Liberal Democrat
- Charlie Maynard Liberal Democrat
- Calum Miller Liberal Democrat
- John Milne Liberal Democrat
- Layla Moran Liberal Democrat
- Edward Morello Liberal Democrat
- Tom Morrison Liberal Democrat
- Tessa Munt Liberal Democrat
- Susan Murray Liberal Democrat
- Sarah Olney Liberal Democrat
- Manuela Perteghella Liberal Democrat
- Al Pinkerton Liberal Democrat
- Joshua Reynolds Liberal Democrat
- Ian Roome Liberal Democrat
- Anna Sabine Liberal Democrat
- Roz Savage Liberal Democrat
- Lisa Smart Liberal Democrat
- Ian Sollom Liberal Democrat
- Jamie Stone Liberal Democrat
- Luke Taylor Liberal Democrat
- Cameron Thomas Liberal Democrat
- Freddie van Mierlo Liberal Democrat
- Caroline Voaden Liberal Democrat
- Max Wilkinson Liberal Democrat
- Munira Wilson Liberal Democrat
- Martin Wrigley Liberal Democrat
- Claire Young Liberal Democrat
- Ann Davies Plaid Cymru
- Llinos Medi Plaid Cymru
- Liz Saville Roberts Plaid Cymru
- Dave Doogan Scottish National Party
- Stephen Flynn Scottish National Party
- Stephen Gethins Scottish National Party
- Chris Law Scottish National Party
- Graham Leadbitter Scottish National Party
- Seamus Logan Scottish National Party
- Brendan O'Hara Scottish National Party
- Pete Wishart Scottish National Party
- Colum Eastwood Social Democratic & Labour Party
- Claire Hanna Social Democratic & Labour Party
- Jim Allister Traditional Unionist Voice
- Robin Swann Ulster Unionist Party
Labour MP abstentions
- Diane Abbott
- Rosena Allin-Khan
- Antonia Bance
- Dan Carden
- Al Carns
- Judith Cummins
- Ashley Dalton
- Paul Davies
- Anneliese Dodds
- Rosie Duffield
- Clive Efford
- Mary Kelly Foy
- Gill Furniss
- Nia Griffith
- Fabian Hamilton
- John Healey
- Kim Johnson
- Sarah Jones
- Stephen Kinnock
- David Lammy
- Ian Lavery
- Noah Law
- Siobhain McDonagh
- Andy McDonald
- Navendu Mishra
- Katrina Murray
- Charlotte Nichols
- Dan Norris
- Sarah Owen
- Yasmin Qureshi
- Rachel Reeves
- Bell Ribeiro-Addy
- Michelle Scrogham
- Alex Sobel
- Keir Starmer
- Fred Thomas
- Gareth Thomas
- Jon Trickett
- Laurence Turner
- Chris Ward
- Nadia Whittome
- Rosie Wrighting
