Two newly recruited members of Nigel Farage’s Reform party mistakenly voted to eliminate the two-child benefit limit during a recent Commons session. Former Conservative MPs Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick sided with Labour MPs, unintentionally supporting the removal of the measure, which could potentially lift around 450,000 people out of poverty. According to Sky News, the two MPs found themselves locked in the chamber after mistakenly entering the wrong voting lobby.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage did not cast a vote on the issue, while the party’s other five MPs opposed the government’s proposed legislation. A spokesperson for Reform explained that Braverman and Jenrick had made an honest mistake by walking into the wrong lobby.

This incident follows Reform’s changing stance on the issue, with Farage initially promising to abolish the two-child benefit limit but later indicating that the policy change would be limited to families where both parents are British and employed full-time.

Critics, including Labour minister Torsten Bell and MP Paul Waugh, criticized Reform for the confusion caused by the mixed voting pattern. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch also took a jab at Braverman and Jenrick, jokingly stating that they are now Farage’s responsibility.

Meanwhile, Labour’s draft law to eliminate the two-child benefit limit passed its first parliamentary stage with overwhelming support. Chancellor Rachel confirmed in November’s Budget that the policy, which has been blamed for trapping children in poverty, will be scrapped starting in April, potentially benefiting 450,000 children.

The two-child benefit limit, introduced in 2017 by former Chancellor George Osborne, restricts Child Tax Credits and Universal Credit to the first two children in a household. The recent vote marked the initial parliamentary step towards removing this policy.