Government Defeats Lords on Children’s Bill, Backs Benedict’s Law

High-Level Summary

The Commons sat for Work and Pensions questions, an urgent question on immigration rules, and Government statements on the Middle East’s economic and defence ramifications, plus a new social cohesion plan. MPs then considered Lords amendments to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, rejecting measures on social media, smartphones in schools, school‑uniform costs and several child‑protection changes, while committing to legislate for Benedict’s law on allergy safety. Multiple divisions saw Government majorities recorded on key Lords amendments. The day concluded with an adjournment debate on funeral‑director regulation, with Ministers promising a full response to the Fuller inquiry by summer 2026.

Detailed Summary

Work and Pensions Oral Questions

Themes included veterans’ benefits, unemployment, youth programmes, universal credit, NEET support, child poverty, pensions, workplace safety and disability assessments. On veterans’ compensation and pension credit, Ministers restated a partial disregard: “£10 per week of any armed forces compensation scheme award is disregarded when calculating pension credit entitlement”, adding, “the value of lump-sum payments received in respect of personal injury are fully disregarded”.

On unemployment, Pat McFadden said headline joblessness was below its previous‑Government average and highlighted a youth guarantee and apprenticeships: “Some 381,000 more people have moved into work over the past year” and youth unemployment is a “long-term challenge”. He noted “no employer national insurance contributions are payable for workers under 21, unless they earn more than £50,000”, and that the youth guarantee can provide “six months of work experience, paid at the national minimum wage for 25 hours a week”. McFadden linked falling net migration to training more domestic workers: “net migration is falling to lower levels than we have seen for some time”. Andrew Western said foreign‑national UC claimants fell from 17% (Jan 2025) to 15.5% (Jan 2026), and cited tightening access via longer settlement routes and a consultation to link access to citizenship. On NEETs, McFadden set out £1.5 billion over three years, expanded youth hubs and c.50,000 extra youth apprenticeship starts. On child poverty, Diana R. Johnson said “550,000 will be lifted out of poverty by the end of the current Parliament” and that removing the two‑child limit would benefit thousands in Bolton North East. Torsten Bell confirmed triple‑lock pension rises, with a 4.8% increase due shortly, and “the biggest‑ever take‑up campaign for pension credit” alongside a focus on energy costs. Stephen Timms said the HSE “has not seen evidence that the current arrangements are inadequate” on hazardous medicinal products, but would act on new evidence. McFadden reported Scotland’s unemployment at 3.8%, with higher inactivity than the UK average. He said the work capability reassessment backlog would be “almost entirely cleared by the end of this month”. Stephen Timms acknowledged Access to Work delays, citing more staff and planned reforms.

Urgent Question: Immigration Policy

The Deputy Speaker criticised announcements made outside the House: “It is simply not good enough”. Minister Alex Norris outlined measures: 30‑month reviews of refugee status; a targeted “visa brake” for Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan; new visit/transit visa rules for Nicaragua and St Lucia; revoking a duty and restoring a power to provide asylum support; and a consultation on family returns. Opposition MPs criticised small‑boat crossings and a reported “£40,000 per family” voluntary‑return pilot. Norris contrasted hotel costs and voluntary‑return payments, and cited enforcement outcomes: “40,000 crossings have been prevented” and “60,000 people have been returned…a 31% increase”. He said the earned‑settlement consultation had closed and measures would be “laid in the usual way”. Explaining the 30‑month review approach, he said those working or studying and learning English could move to a protected route outside the review cycle. On removals, he said returns to unsafe countries are not possible but “we have to have a system that has a backstop of removal”. Addressing pull‑factor concerns, he said the £40,000 pilot would be targeted and “cannot act as a pull factor”.

Statement: Middle East Economic Update (Chancellor)

Rachel Reeves set priorities of de‑escalation, protecting shipping in the strait of Hormuz, readiness to coordinate IEA oil‑reserve releases, and supporting UK maritime insurance. She warned of inflationary pressure, vowed vigilance and CMA scrutiny—“I will not tolerate any company exploiting the current crisis to make excess profits at consumers’ expense”—and confirmed April’s domestic price cap was unchanged with a meeting on heating‑oil issues this week. She said the MOD could access the special reserve so “no net additional costs…will be funded by the MOD”.

Reeves defended the public‑finances position and energy‑security strategy (new nuclear, forthcoming Fingleton response). She said the deficit had fallen and defence spending would reach 2.6% of GDP by April next year. Fuel‑duty freezes and a “cheap fuel finder” were highlighted, alongside extra relief for energy‑intensive industries.

Statement: Middle East Defence (Defence Secretary)

John Healey set three principles—defensive action, allied coordination, and a legal basis—and condemned Iran’s “dangerous, indiscriminate and reckless strikes”. He detailed deployments since January: Typhoons, F‑35s, counter‑drone teams and extra air defence. HMS Dragon “will set sail in the next couple of days” to join US air‑defence destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean. The UK authorised US use of RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia for “specific defensive operations into Iran…to destroy Iranian missiles at source”.

Operationally, UK Typhoons downed drones over Jordan and heading to Bahrain, British pilots logged over 230 hours, with eight jets in Qatar and the largest UK jet presence in Cyprus. Healey emphasised that actions were coordinated with NATO partners and grounded in international law.

Statement: Social Cohesion Action Plan

Steve Reed launched “Protecting What Matters” to strengthen cohesion, tackle extremism and reduce division. He said, “It is not patriotic to target someone because of their religion or the colour of their skin”. Measures include Pride in Place funding (£5.8 billion for nearly 300 constituencies) and a £5 million Common Ground fund. The plan sets a home‑education register with pilot safety checks, £500,000 to link schools across communities, emphasis on English and shared values for new arrivals, and ending the asylum‑hotels policy.

The Government adopted a non‑statutory definition of anti‑Muslim hostility, aiming to underpin enforcement and guidance while safeguarding free speech. Further steps include embedding the 2024 extremism definition, annual reporting, a state‑threats designation power, stronger Charity Commission powers, tighter Prevent oversight on campuses, and fuller use of Online Safety Act powers.

Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill: Consideration of Lords Amendments

Ministers urged the Commons to reject several Lords changes. On allergy safety, Olivia Bailey pledged legislation: “we will put Benedict’s law on the statute book, with our own amendment to require schools to have and publish an allergy safety policy”. On social media/phones, the Government opposed statutory bans, launched a consultation, and took regulation‑making powers—“it is not a question of if we act, but how”. On uniforms, Ministers rejected a monetary cap, retaining a cap on compulsory branded items and warning of “perverse incentives” from a cost cap.

Divisions saw the Commons disagree with: Lords amendment 16 (adoption/SG fund review) Ayes 309, Noes 181; 17 (sibling contact) Ayes 306, Noes 182; 37 (VPN prohibition) Ayes 321, Noes 106; 38 (social‑media wellbeing measures) Ayes 307, Noes 173; 41 (uniform cost cap) Ayes 316, Noes 171; 44 (LA consent for certain withdrawals) Ayes 315, Noes 109; 102 (admissions adjudicator) Ayes 315, Noes 163; and 106 (smartphone ban in school day) Ayes 304, Noes 177. Lords amendment 105 (allergy safety) was also disagreed, with Ministers promising their own legislative route. Government amendments in lieu were agreed to confer powers on social‑media/VPN matters. Numerous other Lords amendments were agreed, some with financial privilege waived.

Adjournment Debate: Regulation of Funeral Directors

Caroline Dinenage described severe malpractice in Gosport and elsewhere, calling the largely unregulated funeral sector a “wild west”, and urged statutory regulation, inspection, accreditation, and potential new offences for mistreating bodies. Minister Zubir Ahmed acknowledged rare but serious abuses and said the Ministry of Justice is “actively exploring options to strengthen criminal law protections for the deceased, including the potential for new offences”. He noted updated Human Tissue Authority guidance following the Fuller inquiry and inter‑departmental work on proportionate regulation, committing to set out the Government’s decision in a full response “in summer 2026”.