How every Greater Manchester voted on the two-child benefit cap

Calls for a controversial policy which has been branded “cruel” by child poverty campaigners were rejected last night (July 24).

Most MPs voted against calls to raise the cap on two-child benefits. The policy prevents parents from claiming Child Tax Credit or Universal Credit for more than two children and affects more than 28,000 families in Greater Manchester, according to recent figures.

Some Greater Manchester MPs have called for the benefits cap, which was introduced by the Tories in 2017, to be scrapped. This includes two Labor MPs – one of whom has now been suspended from the party for protesting at Tuesday’s (July 24) vote.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about the 11 new MPs representing Greater Manchester

Salford MP Rebecca Long-Bailey was one of seven Labor MPs to vote for an SNP amendment calling for the two-child limit to be scrapped immediately. All seven MPs have lost the Labor whip, meaning they no longer represent the party in Parliament.

Both Greater Manchester Lib Dem MPs also voted in favor of the amendment to the King’s Speech. However, the rest of the city-region’s representatives in Parliament – all Labor MPs – did not support the amendment, with no votes recorded for three.

It comes after ministers met leading charities and campaigners to discuss plans for an “ambitious” child poverty strategy last week. The government has said a new task force will explore how it can use “all available levers” to tackle child poverty in the UK.

But campaigners say scrapping the two-child policy is one of the “big levers” the government must pull now. It comes as more than half of children in some parts of Greater Manchester live in poverty, with Oldham, Bolton and Blackley topping the list.

Several MPs tabled amendments to the King’s Speech last week calling for the controversial policy to be scrapped. This includes one which was signed by several Labor MPs, with the SNP, the Green Party and independent MPs tabling their own amendments.

MPs voted on the SNP amendment on Tuesday (July 24). The amendment called for the two-child limit to be abolished “immediately”.

Three Greater Manchester MPs voted in favor of the amendment – one Labor and two Dems. No vote was recorded for two MLAs, while one MLA was appointed to check the counting of votes as a scrutineer, meaning no vote was recorded for him.

The remaining 21 MPs voted against the amendment. Here’s how every MP in Greater Manchester voted for the amendment.

In favor of the

• Tom Morrison (Lib Dem), Cheadle
• Lisa Smart (Lib Dem), Hazel Grove
• Rebecca Long-Bailey (Lab), Salford

Against

No vote recorded

• Yasmin Qureshi (Lab), Bolton South and Walkden
• Navendu Mishra (Lab), Stockport
• (House) Christian Wakeford (Lab), Bury South