Sir Keir Starmer clashed with the Scottish National Party’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn at Prime Minister’s Questions over child poverty.
The senior SNP MP challenged the PM over why Scottish Labour MPs had not backed a motion from his party to axe the two child benefit cap.
Mr Flynn stressed that former premier Gordon Brown had urged voters ahead of the July 4 election to back Labour to end child poverty.
This is the prop which Stephen Flynn was brandishing at PMQs, prompting the Speaker’s reprimand pic.twitter.com/X50OotU0Tr
— James Heale (@JAHeale) July 24, 2024
But Labour MPs were “instructed” to keep the two child benefit restriction, he added, in a showdown Commons votes on Tuesday despite it “forcing children into poverty”.
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle reprimanded Mr Flynn for using a “prop”, against Commons rules, by waving a Record newspaper front page with Mr Brown’s comments.
Mr Flynn pressed on and speaking to Sir Keir said: “So Prime Minister, what changed?”
But Sir Keir hit back giving a list of Labour plans to tackle child poverty including free breakfast clubs at schools and better housing.
He said: “I’m glad he mentioned Gordon Brown because the last Labour government lifted millions of children (out of poverty)...something that we are very, very proud of.
“This Government will approach the question with the same vigour.”
Turning to Mr Flynn, he then added: “Before he lectures everyone else, he should explain why since the SNP came to power there are 30,000 more children in poverty in Scotland.”
Seven Labour MPs who defied the Government by backing an amendment to scrap the two-child benefit cap have lost the whip.
Apsana Begum, Richard Burgon, Ian Byrne, Imran Hussain, Rebecca Long-Bailey, John McDonnell and Zarah Sultana have been suspended from the parliamentary party for six months, after which their position will be reviewed, it was reported.
Sir Keir faced his first Commons rebellion on Tuesday as the Government comfortably defeated calls to scrap the cap.
But the division list showed seven MPs rebelled to back the SNP-led amendment.
Labour MPs had the opportunity to deliver meaningful change from years of Tory misrule by immediately lifting thousands of children out of poverty - they have made a political choice not to do so
More than 40 Labour MPs recorded no vote, with some of those listed spotted in the chamber throughout the day, while others will have had permission to miss the vote.
The House of Commons voted 363 to 103, majority 260, to reject the amendment tabled in the name of SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn.
Slow handclapping could be heard in the chamber after the result was announced.
The cap, introduced in 2015 by then-Conservative chancellor George Osborne, restricts child welfare payments to the first two children born to most families.
Mr Flynn said: “Tonight, the Labour Party has failed its first major test in government.
“Labour MPs had the opportunity to deliver meaningful change from years of Tory misrule by immediately lifting thousands of children out of poverty – they have made a political choice not to do so.
“This is now the Labour government’s two-child cap – and it must take ownership of the damage it is causing, including the appalling levels of poverty in the UK.”
Ahead of the vote, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said there is “no silver bullet” to end child poverty but acknowledged the “passion” of Labour MPs who were considering rebelling over the continuation of the Tory measure.
Speaking on Wednesday, Ms Sultana suggested she was the victim of a "macho virility test" following her suspension.
Asked for her view of the Prime Minister following the move, the Coventry South MP told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I'm not interested in playing up to this macho virility test that seems to be what people are talking about.
"It's about the material conditions of 330,000 children living in poverty."
She added: "This isn't a game. This is about people's lives."
Ms Sultana also said she was not told by the party that she would lose the whip if she rebelled.
