Starmer sees off first rebellion in battle to keep two-child benefit cap after Labour MPs vowed to defy PM
PRIME Minister Keir Starmer has survived his first rebellion in Westminster as he successfully fought to keep the two-child benefit cap in a crunch vote.
Rebel Labour MPs had vowed to defy him in supporting an SNP amendment to the King's Speech - but failed when the Government voted 363 to 103 to keep the policy tonight.
In an early headache for the PM, more than 10 hard-left mutineers had called for the cap to go.
But the House of Commons voted to reject the amendment tabled by SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn.
He said: "This is now the Labour government's two-child cap - and it must take ownership of the damage it is causing, including the appalling levels of poverty in the UK."
Seven Labour MPs who voted against the Government on the amendment have had the whip suspended, according to reports.
For weeks Sir Keir has come under mounting pressure from his own benches to axe the policy, which was introduced by the Tories in 2017.
Figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show that under the cap 1.6million children miss out on up to £288 a month in extra support.
But the PM has insisted the government has to do "the sums" before committing to the policy.
He's also argued that scrapping the cap won't be a "silver bullet" for resolving child poverty.
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Chancellor Rachel Reeves has remained adamant the move is unaffordable in Britain's sluggish economic environment.
This morning DWP Secretary Liz Kendall claimed she is "absolutely passionate about driving down child poverty".
But she added: "I'm not into a wink and a nudge politics.
"I'm not going to look constituents in the face and tell them I'm going to do something without actually having done the sums, figuring out how I'm going to pay for it, figuring out how we transform opportunity for those children.
"It's got to be part of a much bigger approach."
Ms Kendall insisted that Labour's "dire inheritance" from the Tories "overnight", means welfare boosts cannot come quickly.
Stirring the pot today, SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said: "Keir Starmer must not fail his first major test in Government by refusing to scrap the cap.
"It is the bare minimum required to tackle child poverty - and to begin to deliver the change that people in Scotland were promised.
"Labour MPs have a choice today.
"They can lift children out of poverty by voting for the SNP amendment to abolish the cap - or they will push children into poverty by keeping it in place."
Among the hard-left Labour MPs set to rebel is former shadow Chancellor to Jeremy Corbyn, John McDonnell.
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He said: "I'll be voting for the SNP amendment. I don't like voting for other parties' amendments but but I'm following Keir Starmer's example as he said put country before party.
"So I'm putting lifting children out of poverty before party whipping or anything like that."
How to claim Child Benefit
Read below if you would like more information on how to claim child benefit.
Child benefit is worth up to £1,331 a year for your first or only child and up to £881 a year for additional children.
This works out at £102.40 every four weeks or £25.60 a week for your first child and £67.80 every 4 weeks or £16.95 a week for their siblings.
There is no limit on the number of children that can be claimed for.
Applying is straightforward and can be done in minutes at gov.uk or through the HMRC app.
Parents with a newborn baby should make a claim online as soon as possible and could then receive their first payment in as little as three days.
You can also backdate claims for up to three months.
Parents can make a claim and then choose to opt out of receiving Child Benefit payments can still receive National Insurance credits if one parent is not working.
National Insurance credits build up your entitlement to the state pension.
Who's exempt from the two-child benefit cap?
The two-child benefit cap means that you can only get more child tax credit or Universal Credit for your third (or more) child if:
- They were born before April 6, 2017
- They are disabled (disabled child element only)
- You qualify for an exception in child tax credit or special circumstances apply in Universal Credit
You qualify for an exception or special circumstances for each third (or subsequent) child if:
- You have adopted them or other children in your household
- You receive guardian's allowance for them or other children in your household
- They are the second (or more) child born in a multiple-birth
- They or other children in your household are the offspring of one of your children who is under 16 years old
- They or other children in your household are not your child or stepchild, and you look after them under a court order
- They or other children in your household are not your child or stepchild and you look after them under an arrangement with Social Services (except for formal foster care)
- They were conceived as a result of rape, and you do not live with the perpetrato