THE Labour MP for West Dunbartonshire has hit back at the Scottish National Party (SNP) over criticism of the UK government's decision to vote against scrapping the two-child benefit cap.

It comes after an amendment to the King's Speech failed by 363 votes to 103, a majority of 260 for Keir Starmer's party.

The two-child benefit cap prevents parents from claiming universal credit or tax credit for their third child.

It is a policy that has been widely criticised, including by the Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland which estimates that abolishing the cap would cost £1.3billion a year.

The organisation claims this would lift 250,000 children in the UK out of poverty, including 15,000 in Scotland

It is a decision which has prompted criticism, with Marie McNair, SNP MSP for Clydebank, writing on social media that Labour was putting "party first" and "poor children last" after it was confirmed that the amendment had failed.

But Douglas McAllister MP has hit back, insisting that lifting people out of poverty is one of the main aims of his party.

"I won’t be taking any lessons from the SNP on reducing child poverty," he said.

"They have failed to reduce child deprivation over the last 17 years and the dial measuring child poverty hasn’t moved an inch since they took office.

"Labour are committed to reviewing Universal Credit which the two-child cap is part of, we will make work pay and deliver a better deal for working people by increasing the minimum wage with a real living wage.

"70 per cent of children in poverty are from working households. 

"Lifting people out of poverty is in our DNA. The last Labour government took over half a million children out of poverty and we will do so again."

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Of Scottish Labour's 37 MPS, 36 voted against, while one - Katrina Murray - did not record a vote.

Anas Sarwar, Scottish Labour leader, previously called for an end to the cap.

McAllister also pointed to the plans that the UK government have already put in place to combat the issue of child poverty.

"That’s why we took immediate action this week with our ambitious Child Poverty Reduction Strategy which we have set to work on immediately," he continued.

"Overseen by a new ministerial task force and co-chaired by the secretary of state for Social Security and Education, a new child poverty unit set up in the Cabinet office bringing together officials and external experts.

"We will leave no stone unturned to achieve our ambitions.

"My Labour government is serious about reducing child poverty and that work has started.

"The Labour government will deliver the change our children need."

Chancellor Rachel Reeves previously stated that Labour would not make the pledge to lift the cap "without being able to say where the money is coming from".

She also argued that the policy, which was introduced in 2017 by the then-Conservative government, would cost £3billion to scrap.

The Prime Minister suspended the seven Labour MPs who rebelled against the party during the vote, including former shadow chancellor John McDonnell.