Suella Braverman was slammed by other MPs last night for making a complete pivot over the two-child benefit cap.
The former home secretary joined the chorus of backbenchers on both sides of the House who are calling for the government to scrap the cap which prevents parents from claiming benefits for a third child.
However, Braverman previously backed the policy – meaning her demand during the Commons’ debate over Labour’s plans for government widely mocked.
She said: “There was one thing that struck me in the King’s Speech.
“It wasn’t the long list of policies which will no doubt damage our economy.
“It wasn’t the vague policies which will not survive contact with reality.
“For me the thing that was conspicuous by its absence was the total failure of the Labour government to deal with child poverty and scrap the two-child benefit cap on welfare.”
A wave of outrage broke out in the chamber at that, which Braverman then acknowledged: “Yes, you heard that right.”
“You voted for it!” One MP shouted out in response amid the furore.
The outcry was so significant that the deputy Speaker of the House had to intervene and ask for quiet.
A few moments later, Braverman resumed: “Now, in the grand tapestry of British politics where the warp and weft of policy and principle interlace, it isn’t often that you would find a Conservative MP find threads of agreement with friends across the aisle.”
But she said scrapping the cap “speaks to my profound sense of justice, and dare I say, compassion” – prompting further laughter in the Commons.
Braverman has made headlines for her controversial statements on asylum seekers over the years, once claiming it was an “invasion” of migrants and that it was her “dream” to see them deported to Rwanda.
But she said last night that policies like the cap were introduced because the economic situation the Tories inherited from Labour in 2010 meant they had to make difficult decisions.
Now the economy is more stable, Braverman said that it was clear the “cap isn’t working” and pushing more people into relative poverty.
She claimed the Conservatives should be the “party of family” now, and improve their parental and child policies.