LABOUR have voted to keep the two-child benefit cap as the party reverses its opposition to the policy despite growing pressure for them to scrap it.
Keir Starmer’s party voted down the SNP’s amendment to the King’s Speech calling for the policy to be axed by 363 noes to 103 ayes.
All 37 of Scotland’s Labour MPs voted against scraping the policy.
Analysis published before the vote found the typical cost of the two-child cap to families in Scotland this year is £287.92 a month, or £3455 a year, for families with three children, and £575.84 a month, or £6910 a year, for families with four children.
The Labour Party have insisted they oppose the policy in principle, but they cannot fund the estimated £2.5 billion it would cost to scrap it.
The SNP had tabled an amendment which demanded the policy that limits the amount of money people with more than two children are entitled to in benefits be scrapped.
It received support from the six independent, four Greens, 64 LibDems and seven Labour MPs from England.
Stephen Flynn (below), the Leader of the SNP at Westminster, posted to social media shortly after the vote hailing his colleagues for backing the party's amendments despite it being defeated.
He said: “Very grateful to the 102 parliamentary colleagues who backed the SNP amendment tonight.
“I’m told that no Labour MPs from Scotland were in that number.”
How did Scotland’s 37 Labour MPs vote?
- Zubir Ahmed - No
- Douglas Alexander - No
- Scott Arthur - No
- Richard Baker - No
- Johanna Baxter - No
- Maureen Burke - No
- Irene Campbell - No
- Torcuil Crichton - No
- Graeme Downie - No
- Patricia Ferguson - No
- Alan Gemmell - No
- Tracy Gilbert - No
- John Grady - No
- Lillian Jones - No
- Chris Kane - No
- Brian Leishman - No
- Douglas McAllister - No
- Martin McCluskey - No
- Blair McDougall - No
- Gordon McKee - No
- Frank McNally - No
- Kirsty McNeil - No
- Chris Murray - No
- Ian Murray - No
- Katrina Murray - No
- Pamela Nash - No
- Gregor Poynton - No
- Joani Reid - No
- Martin Rhodes - No
- Micheal Shanks - No
- Euan Stainbank - No
- Kenneth Stevenson - No
- Elaine Stewart - No
- Kirsteen Sullivan - No
- Alison Taylor - No
- Imogen Walker - No
