Miliband faces Labour revolt in the commons over welfare cap
AS MANY as 20 Labour MPs are set to defy leader Ed Miliband in a vote in the House of Commons today on the welfare cap.
The vote, which the Labour party is supporting, has been called by the government as a result of the Budget last week and will limit Whitehall spending unless a vote in the Commons is called.
The cap will include 26 different benefits but exclude the state pension and Jobseekers Allowance. It has been set at £119bn for 2015-16.
Among those voting against the cap and against their party is Diane Abbott. Others are thought to include Paul Flynn, while John Mann tweeted earlier this week that he would not vote in favour of the spending limit.
The rebellion comes as Labour MP David Lammy called on Miliband to reconnect with voters ahead of the election in 2015. “We’ve been a very effective opposition, but in the next 14 months we have to cross that Rubicon to being a government-in-waiting,” he told the BBC.