Labour inflicts symbolic defeat over universal credit rollout

Tories under fire for abstaining from vote hours after work and pensions secretary David Gauke ends helpline charges

Labour inflicted a symbolic defeat on the government over universal credit on Wednesday night, hours after work and pensions secretary David Gauke announced he would end a 55p-a-minute helpline for welfare claimants.

Up to two dozen Conservative MPs had said they may support a Labour motion, which called for ministers to “pause and fix” the controversial welfare reform, which the government whipped its MPs to abstain on. In the end, however, just one Conservative MP, the chair of the health select committee Sarah Wollaston, voted with Labour.

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from The Guardian http://ift.tt/2zhCTHm