Andrea Leadsom, the leader of the Commons, is expected to announce on Thursday that the government has granted Labour a three-hour debate and a series of votes, immediately after the chancellor’s spring statement this Tuesday.
Changes to free school meals entitlement, childcare vouchers and free childcare for two-year-olds were all due to be made using statutory instruments – without a vote in parliament.
But Labour has used an obscure process called “praying against” the regulations to secure several votes, which could prove embarrassing for the government, after Hammond’s statement.
Rayner is seeking to block a series of money-saving changes – including the imposition of an earnings threshold for free school meals – as universal credit is rolled out to more households.
Currently all families in England in receipt of UC are entitled to free school meals as a transitional measure while the new benefit is extended across the country. But the government now plans to set an income threshold of £7,400.
Rayner said: “Not only are the Tories taking free school meals and childcare from hundreds of thousands of working families but they are using arcane procedures in a desperate attempt to dodge proper scrutiny from MPs.
Source: theguardian
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