Seven Labour MPs have had the whip suspended for six months after voting to scrap the two-child benefit cap, which has been found to be a factor in some women’s decisions to have an abortion.
After the King’s Speech last week in which the removal of the two-child benefit cap was conspicuously absent, the Scottish National Party (SNP) tried to amend it to include the removal, but they were unsuccessful.
The MPs who lost the whip are John McDonnell, Richard Burgon, Ian Byrne, Rebecca Long-Bailey, Imran Hussain, Apsana Begum, and Zarah Sultana. Most of these rebels were allies of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who now sits as an independent MP and supported the SNP motion.
Losing the whip is thought to be one of the strongest punishments a political party can inflict on one of its MPs. It essentially expels the member from their party, such that while they can remain in Parliament, they have to sit as an independent MP.
Labour government faces first major rebellion
The amendment was ultimately rejected by a significant margin, with 363 votes against and 103 in favour. This vote marked the first major challenge to the new Labour Government’s authority.
Zarah Sultana, MP for Coventry South, stated that she was not informed beforehand that voting for the amendment would result in losing the whip. However, she maintained that this knowledge would not have altered her decision.
“I’m following Keir Starmer’s example as he said put country before party”, said John McDonnell when explaining his decision to vote for the amendment.
Government resists pressure to abolish two-child benefit cap despite internal Labour opposition
The Government has expressed unwillingness to make “unfunded promises” by abolishing the cap, even while the Prime Minister acknowledged the passion of Labour MPs on the issue of child poverty.
The rebellion, though small, is seen as a message from Labour whips that dissent will not be tolerated in votes. Many Labour MPs oppose the two-child benefit cap and hope the party will scrap it soon.
Impact of the two-child benefit cap on abortion decisions
There is evidence that the benefit cap is having some influence on some women’s decision to have an abortion.
In 2020, a survey found that 59% of respondents said that they were aware of the two-child limit prior to having an abortion. Of those in receipt of tax credits or universal credit, and therefore most likely to be affected by the two-child benefit cap, 57% “said that the policy was important in their decision-making around whether or not to continue the pregnancy”.
In the survey conducted by the abortion provider, the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, one respondent said “[The two-child limit] was a big factor for me. My husband has lost his job so we are on a very tight budget and when we looked at our finances we realised we couldn’t afford to have another baby”.
While another woman said “If there was no two-child limit I would have kept the baby, but I couldn’t afford to feed and clothe it… I’ve really struggled to come to terms with [my decision]”.
In 2020 the Guardian reported that from 2016 to 2019, the number of women with two or more children having an abortion has risen by 16.4%, while for women with no existing children or one existing child, the numbers increased by 10.3% and 7% respectively. The two-child policy was introduced in 2017.
The two-child benefit cap was introduced in order to cut the state welfare bill. In real terms, the loss of benefits is worth £2,900 per child per year. 243,000 families had been impacted by the two-child limit by April 2020, according to Government data.
The vote had support from MPs from a number of parties, including all nine SNP MPs, all four Plaid Cymru MPs, the only Alliance MP, four Democratic Unionist Party MPs, all four Greens, six independents, seven Labour, 64 Liberal Democrats, both of the Social Democratic & Labour Party MPs, the only Traditional Unionist Voice MP, and the onlyUlster Unionist Party MP.
Spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, said “The extent to which our society discourages women from continuing with their pregnancies is saddening. We know that women feel pressured into having abortions for any number of reasons, and sadly, at this time, it appears that the two-child benefit cap is contributing to pressure on women to have abortions. We urge all MPs to prioritise policies that support families and protect the dignity of every human life, from conception to natural death”.
