Lib Dems Jump Ship to Defeat the Tories on Housing Benefit Changes

You can tell there's an election on the way.
Liberal Democrats have jumped ship and voted with Labour to overturn the controversial housing benefit changes brought in by the coalition just over a year ago.

MPs backed the Affordable Homes Bill at second reading by 306 votes to 231. Lib Dem MP Andrew George's private member's bill will now move to detailed scrutiny at the committee stage. The issue has split the coalition, with Lib Dem and Tory MPs and ministers voting along party lines. The BBC's parliamentary correspondent Mark D'Arcy said there was now a "fighting chance" the bill would become law.

This will give some hope to the thousands of people penalised under the law for having a spare room , many people in this position can't move as smaller properties aren't available to rent in their areas.

And Labour leader Ed Miliband, who has committed to scrapping the benefit cuts - dubbed the "bedroom tax" by critics - if he becomes prime minister, said it was further evidence that David Cameron's authority was dwindling. "He is losing his MPs, he is losing votes in the House of Commons and it is Labour which is setting the agenda for fairness," he said.
www.bbc.co.uk...

Hopefully the bill will pass through the lords and be finalised before Christmas to take some pressure off the backs of those that can least afford it.
Roll on next May.

I'm glad the government was defeated on this. But # the Lib Dems. They should have done this at the start, they had the opportunity to not ruin the lives of some of the most vulnerable of society, but they would rather keep hold of their little bit of power instead of destablise the government. Of course now, like the filthy rats they are, they abandon the sinking ship when it suits them to do so.