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Harman defeats Tory attack

The motion was lost by 336 votes to 131 and an amendment congratulating the Government on its reform of the welfare state was passed without a vote.

But the Social Security Secretary, Harriet Harman, suffered the fiercest parliamentary reception yet given to a member of Tony Blair's cabinet.

Ms Harman told the House: "Reforming the welfare state to tackle poverty and welfare dependency is a priority of this Government.

"The social security system that we inherited failed to tackle poverty, it trapped people on benefit and it did nothing to help them into work.

"Under the previous government, spending on social security rose to £100bn a year, that's £25bn more than the total amount collected in income tax in any year. But despite this huge growth in welfare spending, 18 years of Tory rule saw more and more people excluded from the main stream of society. The system wasn't working."

The Conservative Social Security Spokesman, Simon Burns, asked Ms Harman why she was adopting Tory policy if she disagreed with what they had done whilst in power.

Ms Harman replied: "Yes, the Tories had got it wrong on lone mothers, because your proposals left one million lone mothers bringing up two million children on income support and offered no help and opportunities for them to work."

Then the MP for Billericay, Teresa Gorman, attempted to rattle Ms Harman by bringing up the 120 Labour MPs who wrote to the Chancellor, Gordon Brown, opposing the cut in benefit paid to single parents.

Ms Harman told her: "It's a very touching spectacle seeing you speak out on behalf our backbenchers, but I think that are probably more than capable of speaking up for themselves."

Another Tory, Richard Spring, the MP for Suffolk West, attacked the principles of welfare-to-work and the funding of children's after-school clubs through lottery money.

"Every time the Government wishes to put money into some scheme they will find some way of raiding the lottery ... and flouting the very principles with which the lottery was set up," he said.

The threatened revolt on the Labour benches never quite kicked off, but a number of MPs did call for fresh changes to the welfare system.

Campbell Savours called for a "more imaginative" approach to welfare: "Why don't we directly interfere in the free market for rents in the United Kingdom and thereby reduce housing benefits and thereby save hundreds of millions of pounds - far in excess of anything that we are gaining by the measures that you are considering?

"Why don't we interfere there and thereby slash the benefits bill in a major way, rather than concentrating our efforts in this area of lone parents?"

Dennis Skinner said the Government's ideas would not work in reality.

"Welfare to Work is a wonderful sounding notion and yet there are large parts of Britain, including my constituency, there are lots of others who would like to get into work who can't," he said.

"Then there's the other question - some lone parents don't want to work, they want to look after their children and therefore should not be penalised because they take that honourable stance."

During the debate, two women protesters were removed from the Commons for shouting "scab" at Ms Harman.

But Ms Harman said single mothers will come to thank the Government for its change in policy, which Conservatives attempted to portray as a U-turn.

"Our approach to lone parents is to help them become better off than they can ever be on benefits and that is by working," she said.

Blair: no delay

The Prime Minister's office earlier denied rumours it might stall a cut in lone parent benefit to pacify its backbench MPs.

A British newspaper reported a six-month delay on Monday, the week after 120 Labour MPs wrote to the Chancellor, Gordon Brown, seeking a postponement.

An official spokesman for the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, said The Times story was wrong.

"The decision is going ahead as planned," he said.

Mr Blair's spokesman added: "We have no problem at all with MPs raising concerns and saying they disagree.

"This Government is not breaking its promises and will stick to difficult decisions in the interests of getting the British economy on a long-term stable footing."

Labour revolt could come later

The result of Monday's vote is far less important to the Government than that following the Third Reading of the Social Security Bill on December 10.

Then the dissident Labour MPs must decide whether to vote against their leaders or back the proposals for £395m in welfare cuts in three years.

Those opposed to the change say up to 200 may break ranks.

One prominent campaigner against benefits cuts told BBC radio the people behind the decision lacked compassion for single parents.

"They're certainly not showing much care for poverty-stricken children, and actions speak louder than words," Preston MP Audrey Wise said.

"They seem to have got themselves hypnotised into a situation where they can dismiss the effects of what they are doing from their minds."

Harman: Get disabled working

Ms Harman has said the Government is ready to publish its plans to help unemployed disabled people start working.

The Government also said it is ready to open the Social Exclusion Unit, which is likely to be run by the Minister without Portfolio, Peter Mandelson, next week.

The unit's aim will be to coordinate all Government anti-poverty initiatives.

Related Stories

Pressure builds up in benefits row
Labour benefits rebellion gathers pace
Backbench rebellion over benefit cuts

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