The recent motion tabled by Labour abolish the “bedroom tax” was narrowly defeated by only 26 votes in the House of Commons.

The debate became very fiery as Labour demanded that the Liberal Democrats MP’s should “disobey” their coalition partners and vote against their Conservative’s partners removal of the spare room subsidy.

Following on from the vote that was taken, the motion was defeated by the small margin with 226 MP’s for Labour’s challenge but with 252 against.
 
Rachel Reeves, the Shadow work and pensions secretary , demanded that the government should end the “pernicious effect on vulnerable and in many cases disabled people of deductions being made from housing benefit” immediately. She said the bedroom tax is “cruel and unworkable” and many vunerable people would be penalised.
 
She also said it was a "shame"  that Lib Dem Pensions Minister Steve Webb refused to listen "to his own party who only in September at the Liberal Democrat party conference voted overwhelmingly against the bedroom tax, saying that it is 'discriminating against the most vulnerable in society'".
 
21 Liberal Democrat MP’s abstained from voting, 31 voted against the motion whilst only two for it. It has come to light that in total 47 Labour MP’s did not attend the debate.

 

Ms Reeves added: "But I am afraid that's what you get with the Liberal Democrats. They say one thing at their conference and when they are out on the doorsteps, but they vote another way in here when it really counts.
 
"When they could make a difference, they turn the other way."
 
"I say shame on him and shame on his party," Ms Reeves told MPs.
 
Mr Webb countered by saying: "We need action on overcrowding. We need fairness between social and private tenants. We need action on the deficit.
 
"The party opposite has no answer to these problems. The coalition has answered them."