Two Reform MPs by chance vote to scrap two-child profit restrict in Commons blunder
Ex-Tory MPs Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick walked through the wrong voting lobby with Labour MPs to scrap the two-child benefit limit in the Commons on Tuesday evening
Ex-Tory MPs Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick(Image: WIktor Szymanowicz/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Two of Nigel Farage’s newest Reform recruits bungled a Commons vote last night – accidentally voting to scrap the two-child benefit limit.
Ex-Tory MPs Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick voted with Labour MPs to scrap the measure and lift an estimated 450,000 out of poverty. According to Sky News, Ms Braverman and Mr Jenrick “got trapped as the doors were locked” of the chamber after mistakenly entering the aye lobby.
No vote was recorded for Reform UK chief Nigel Farage while the party’s five other MPs voted against the government’s legislation. A Reform spokesperson told The Mirror: “They made a genuine mistake walking through the wrong lobby.”
It comes after Reform’s flip-flopping on the issue with Mr Farage last year pledging to abolish the Tory-era two-child benefit limit as part of spending promises. But he has since U-turned and said the policy to lift the cap will only be for families where both parents are British and in full-time work.
READ MORE: MPs vote to end two-child benefit limit in ‘crucial step’ to tackle povertyREAD MORE: Nigel Farage accused of planning to plunge half a million children into poverty with pubs pledge
Labour minister Torsten Bell responded: “Chaotic carnival of chancers. Jenrick and Braverman vote FOR the abolition of the two child limit while the other four Reform MPs vote against – and of course Farage doesn’t even bother turning up to do his job”. Labour MP for Rochdale Paul Waugh added: “More proof that Reform UK couldn’t run a bath, let alone a country.”
Tory chief Kemi Badenoch also mocked the pair – who recently defected from the Tories to Reform – with a laughing emoji on X, saying: “They’re Nigel’s problem now.”
The party’s Commons blunder came as Labour’s draft law to scrap the two child benefit – passed its first parliamentary hurdle last night. At seconding reading of the Bill – the first parliamentary hurdle – MPs voted by 458 to 104 in favour – a massive majority of 354.
Chancellor Rachel confirmed at November’s Budget the policy – blamed for trapping kids in poverty – will be axed from April and help lift 450,000 kids out of poverty.
Announced by Tory welfare slasher George Osborne and introduced in 2017, it restricts Child Tax Credits and Universal Credit to the first two children in a household. Last night’s vote was the first parliamentary stage for the legislation to scrap the policy.
