How Labour leadership candidates tried to explain not opposing the welfare bill... and how Labour supporters reacted

Controversial legislation that will cut welfare spending by £12 billion has passed its first hurdle in the Commons, by 308 votes to 124.

Forty-eight of Labour's 216 MPs went against the party whip and voted against the bill, but only Jeremy Corbyn, of the four leadership candidates, rebelled.

Andy Burnham – abstained

(Photo: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Burnham explained why, despite his opposition to the child tax credit policy, he abstained in line with interim leader Harriet Harman, as follows:

The Tories want to use this period to brand us in the way they did in 2010. We must not allow that to happen.

Collective responsibility is important and it is what I would expect as leader of our party. It is why I will be voting for our Reasoned Amendment and, if it is defeated, abstaining on the Bill.

But I can reassure you that this is only the beginning of a major fight with the Tories. I am determined that we will fight this regressive Bill line by line, word by word in Committee.

His statement did not go down well on Facebook or Twitter:

Yvette Cooper – abstained

(Photo: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Before the bill, Yvette Cooper’s team said:

Yvette has made clear from the start that she does not believe the best way to reduce the deficit is to hit working families, reduce work incentives and push more children into poverty.

She has said that the Tory plans for cutting tax credits and abandoning the child poverty target do both and Labour should strongly oppose them.

After the bill, she has yet to make a statement.

She also received hostile comments on Facebook:

Liz Kendall – abstained

(Photo: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Kendall was the only one of the four leadership candidates to support Harman's decision when it was first announced.

She said earlier this week:

People said to us 'We don't trust you on the money, we don't trust you on welfare reform'.

If we are going to oppose things we have to put something else in its place because if we carry on making the same arguments we have done over the last five years we will get the same result.

I want to support what Harriet said, we have to listen to have people have said to us, that they didn’t trust us, and we have to change as a party.

After the bill, she has yet to make a statement, but has received some strong words in response to a campaign donation tweet:

... in addition to facebook posts:

Jeremy Corbyn – opposed

(Photo: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Corbyn rebelled against the party line and opposed the bill. He said in a statement:

We should be proud of the fact the last Labour government took 800,000 children out of poverty – but the approach of this Bill goes in the opposite direction.

I am voting against the government on the Welfare Bill tonight because I believe it will increase child poverty. We cannot stay neutral on that.

George Osborne’s Budget found money for giveaways on corporation tax and inheritance tax. We cannot abstain on a programme that gives tax breaks to the rich and gives poverty to the least well off.

We must challenge this practice clearly and boldly, from the outset of this Parliament. That is why I am voting against the government tonight.

Meanwhile, the SNP, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party all said they would oppose the bill.

Tim Farron, in his first Commons speech since becoming leader of the Liberal Democrats, said:

It will trap people on welfare, it will not liberate them. Labelling this bill progressive does not make it progressive.

An SNP spokesperson said:

SNP MPs wish to work with a progressive alliance across the UK against the Tories' plans to make millions of families poorer. It is not enough for Labour simply to abstain on the welfare reform bill - they must join us in voting against it.

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