MPs have rejected a Conservative bid to force Labour to commit to reducing working-age welfare spending. The Tories led an Opposition Day debate in the House of Commons, pressing the Government to cut the benefits bill for adults who can work, but the motion was defeated due to Labour's large majority.
Conservative welfare plans
The defeat follows the Conservatives setting out plans to cut £36.1 billion from welfare costs. The measures include scrapping payments for mild mental health conditions and routine back and joint pain, ending benefit claims for foreign nationals without EU settled status, and reversing Labour's axing of the two-child benefit cap.
Kemi Badenoch said in a speech: "Britain is handing out more than £180 billion a year in benefits to working-age adults. It is hard to comprehend just how big that number is. It's more than we spend on our army, our schools, and our police combined. It is more than £4,000 for every taxpayer in the UK."
The vote
The Conservative motion called on the Government "to commit to bringing working-age welfare spending down in this Parliament". Labour MPs voted for a government amendment that deleted this commitment. The amendment instead stated that the House of Commons "supports the Government’s commitment to deliver welfare reforms that break down barriers to employment, support more people into good, secure work and bring down the benefits bill".
MPs who voted for the commitment to cut the welfare bill were predominantly Conservatives, including Kemi Badenoch, North West Essex; Priti Patel, Witham; and Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Chingford and Woodford Green. Those voting against included Labour MPs such as Angela Rayner, Ashton-under-Lyne; Rachel Reeves, Leeds West and Pudsey; and Andy Burnham, Makerfield, who did not record a vote.
The vote result reflects the Government's majority, with the amendment passing and the original motion failing.
