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Labour rebels defy leadership in welfare vote

48 Labour rebels have defied the party leadership to vote against the Government's welfare reforms.

Leadership contender Jeremy Corbyn was among the MPs to ignore interim leader Harriet Harman's call for them to abstain in the Commons second reading vote on the Welfare Reform and Work Bill.

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Labour will 'pay price' for welfare non-vote, says SNP

Labour has been accused of 'disgraceful' behaviour by the SNP over its failure to vote against the Government's Welfare Bill.

Labour MPs were accused of 'sitting on their hands' Credit: PA Wire

More SNP than Labour MPs voted against the Bill which had its first reading in the Commons on Monday, a move which SNP employment spokeswoman Hannah Bardell said Labour would pay the price for at next year's elections to the Scottish parliament.

"Labour had the perfect opportunity to join the SNP in a progressive coalition to oppose the Tories - but with some honourable exceptions they sat on their hands," she said.

"This disgraceful stance will haunt Labour through next year's Scottish Parliament election and far beyond."

Including teller Kelvin Hopkins, the total Labour rebellion stood at 48 of Labour's 232 MPs. The rest of the No votes in the main second reading division were 55 SNP, eight Liberal Democrat, six DUP, three SDLP, three Plaid Cymru and one each from Green and UUP.

The second teller was the SNP's Owen Thompson.

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