Govt caps annual benefit rises at 1%

MPs rejected a Labour attempt to block the plans by 328 votes to 262 after five hours of debate, the BBC reports. However, four Liberal democrat MPs joined Labour in voting against the plans. Previously benefits have increased in line with inflation, and were set to go up by 2.2% in April. The government said this should be changed to reflect the 1% cap on public sector pay rises. It will apply to working-age benefits such as jobseeker's allowance, employment and support allowance and income support. Elements of working tax credits and child tax credit will also be affected. Bus...