UK Welfare reforms: How Ed Miliband, John Healey and Doncaster MPs voted

Number 10 had been in constant talks with rebel MPs over the reforms, which previously included cuts to the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) – a policy that proved unpopular with Labour backbenches.

At its peak, an amendment tabled by Labour rebels was backed by over 120 backbench MPs.

Only one Doncaster MP signed the amendment. Lee Pitcher MP, Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme signed the amendment last week.

In a statement to the Local Democracy Reporting Service at the time, he said: “I recently held an open meeting with local residents to discuss the government’s proposed welfare changes, and the feedback from constituents was clear – the government should look again at their plans to ensure that the most vulnerable people in our community are protected.”

Doncaster’s other three MPs did not sign the amendment. However, they each hold political roles which are bound by collective responsibility.

It means they each would have had to resign those roles in order to come out against the government.

Ed Miliband, MP for Doncaster North, is Sir Keir Starmer’s Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.

John Healey, MP for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough, is Secretary of State for Defence.

Sally Jameson, MP for Doncaster Central, is Parliamentary Private Secretary to Shabana Mahmood, the Justice Secretary.

It meant they could not publicly speak against the government’s plans, nor sign the amendment against it.

As expected, the trio voted for the welfare reforms on Tuesday evening.

Despite coming out against the reforms last week, Mr Pitcher joined a number of other Labour rebels in voting in support of the government after they had made concessions.

The key concession was a commitment from the government to shelve plans for the deep cuts to PIP.