MPs have backed £12bn of cuts to welfare.

The House of Commons backed the Welfare Reform and Work Bill by 308 to 124 votes.

But 48 Labour MPs defied orders from party whips to abstain and instead voted against the Bill, including Dewsbury MP Paula Sherriff.

She said: “To abstain would have been letting many of my constituents down.”

The controversial Bill, which could see child tax credits limited to two children, divided Labour MPs.

The party had submitted an amendment but it was lost by 100 votes with only 208 voting for it – 195 of those were Labour MPs including Huddersfield MP Barry Sheerman and Batley and Spen MP Jo Cox.

After Labour’s amendment fell, the whip urged all to abstain. The two MPs, however, chose not vote and are listed as ‘absent’ despite their earlier presence.

Mr Sheerman said: “A divided party is not the place to be. When I was chosen by the Labour party I signed a form to say I would abide by the whip and that’s what I did. I wasn’t going to undermine the acting leader, that’s not the way to go about it.

“That’s not to say I agree with the government and when it comes back for a reading I’ll go though it line by line.”

Who voted for the welfare cuts?

304

For

124

Against

MPs who defied their party line

48

Newly-elected Paula Sherriff defied the whip and explained: “Voting against the wishes of my own party was not something I envisaged myself doing when I was elected as MP for Dewsbury 11 weeks ago. This was an incredibly difficult decision and not one that was taken lightly.

“The Dewsbury constituency has pockets of high levels of deprivation and child poverty and ultimately I had to make the choice to stand up for the people I was elected to represent.”

Labour leadership candidate Jeremy Corbyn MP
Labour leadership candidate Jeremy Corbyn MP defied the party line and voted against the cuts

She defended tax credits – given to low-income households – as having improved lives, adding: “The Government are proposing multiple measures to cut tax credits, amongst them to limit child tax credits to two children only.

“Child Tax Credits, as the title suggests, are intended for the child and the costs incurred for raising that child. A child does not choose when to be born so why should a third or fourth child suffer as a result.

“I agree that we need to bring down the deficit and national debt. However I don’t agree that it is a fair or responsible to transfer the nation’s debt onto that of a low paid household.”

Colne Valley’s Jason McCartney was loyal. Calder Valley’s Craig Whittaker was absent.

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