Welfare and Benefits.
Social security, pensions, and welfare reform
Each row is one party. The bar shows how its MPs voted relative to a neutral midpoint — to the right = on-side with the majority position, to the left = opposed. The percentage figure is the share of that party’s MPs who took the same side: higher = more whip-disciplined, closer to 50% = a freer vote.
| Party | Stance vs neutral midpoint | Net % | Discipline | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour Party | Lab | -22 | 28% on-whip · 360 MPs | |
| Conservative and Unionist Party | Con | +5 | 55% on-whip · 114 MPs | |
| Liberal Democrats | LD | +24 | 74% on-whip · 72 MPs | |
| Labour and Co-operative Party | Ind | -22 | 28% on-whip · 42 MPs | |
| Independent | Ind | +6 | 56% on-whip · 14 MPs | |
| Scottish National Party | SNP | +22 | 72% on-whip · 9 MPs | |
| Reform UK | Ref | +16 | 66% on-whip · 8 MPs | |
| Democratic Unionist Party | DUP | +17 | 67% on-whip · 5 MPs |
Source · Hansard · alignment is the share of party MPs who voted with the party majority on tagged divisions
| Date | Motion | Aye | No | Carried |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Feb 2026 | Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Bill: Third Reading Aye: Support removing the two-child benefit cap so that all children in low-income families receive equal Universal Credit entitlements, reducing child poverty · No: Oppose removing the two-child limit, likely citing fiscal cost concerns or preference for keeping existing welfare constraints | 364 | 86 | Yes |
| 23 Feb 2026 | Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Bill Committee: New Clause 3 Aye: Support adding extra requirements (such as impact assessments or consultation provisions) to the bill removing the two-child limit, going beyond what the government proposed · No: Oppose the additional requirements in New Clause 3, backing the government's approach to removing the two-child limit without extra conditions attached | 75 | 290 | No |
| 3 Feb 2026 | Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Bill: Second Reading Aye: Support removing the two-child limit on Universal Credit, allowing families to receive welfare support for all their children and reducing child poverty · No: Oppose removing the two-child limit, arguing it encourages personal responsibility and that the state should not subsidise choices to have larger families | 459 | 106 | Yes |
| 3 Dec 2025 | Pension Schemes Bill: Amendment 16 Aye: Support the Conservative amendment to the Pension Schemes Bill, seeking to alter or add to the government's pension reform legislation · No: Reject the Conservative amendment, backing the government's version of the Pension Schemes Bill without this change | 145 | 304 | No |
| 3 Dec 2025 | Pension Schemes Bill: New Clause 26 Aye: Support requiring an independent review into the pension losses of former AEA Technology employees, who lost out when the company was privatised · No: Oppose mandating an independent review into AEA Technology pension losses, likely preferring existing mechanisms or opposing the specific legislative vehicle | 79 | 298 | No |
All 32 divisions on this issue →
By party, the MPs whose voting record on welfare and benefits is most closely tracking the party majority. A fuller “most active by speech volume + written questions” ranking is pending — needs per-issue speech aggregation.
LabLabour Party
| MP | Constituency | % on-whip |
|---|---|---|
| Apsana Begum | Poplar and Limehouse | 59% |
| Bell Ribeiro-Addy | Clapham and Brixton Hill | 55% |
| Ian Byrne | Liverpool West Derby | 54% |
ConConservative and Unionist Party
| MP | Constituency | % on-whip |
|---|---|---|
| Rishi Sunak | Richmond and Northallerton | 100% |
| James Cleverly | Braintree | 82% |
| Christopher Chope | Christchurch | 78% |
LDLiberal Democrats
| MP | Constituency | % on-whip |
|---|---|---|
| Helen Maguire | Epsom and Ewell | 94% |
| Alistair Carmichael | Orkney and Shetland | 85% |
| Tom Morrison | Cheadle | 83% |
IndLabour and Co-operative Party
| MP | Constituency | % on-whip |
|---|---|---|
| Stephen Doughty | Cardiff South and Penarth | 40% |
| Rachael Maskell | York Central | 37% |
| Stella Creasy | Walthamstow | 36% |
IndIndependent
| MP | Constituency | % on-whip |
|---|---|---|
| James McMurdock | South Basildon and East Thurrock | 91% |
| Jeremy Corbyn | Islington North | 73% |
| Shockat Adam | Leicester South | 72% |
SNPScottish National Party
| MP | Constituency | % on-whip |
|---|---|---|
| Stephen Gethins | Arbroath and Broughty Ferry | 77% |
| Kirsty Blackman | Aberdeen North | 75% |
| Pete Wishart | Perth and Kinross-shire | 74% |
Mapping each Westminster issue to the equivalent council service bucket (so “Welfare and Benefits” → the matching service line on council finance, with the ranked-spend table this section wants) is its own taxonomy job. Council service spend lives on the council pages today; cross-cut by issue here in a follow-on pass.