The Former Lib Dem leader Lord Ashdown said he will not stand with the government on planned changes to the welfare system.
The peer said he will vote against the coalition government for the first time due to the effects the proposed £26,000 annual limit on single households would have on poverty stricken children who he considers not properly protected against the benefit cap.
The Department for Work and Pensions said they believe the limit of £26,000 was fair and that removing children from the cap would make the system ineffective.
Lord Ashdown said in an interview on Sky News that he thought the proposed cap was ‘completely unacceptable’.
Labour has tabled an amendment to the bill arguing for an exemption from the benefit cap for vulnerable individuals, which will be debated by the Lords.