Dorset MPs voted to make controversial cuts to the Universal Credit system this week.

Conservative and DUP MPs voted for changes to Universal Credit which include a means test, where claimants with net earnings up to £7,400 will be entitled to free school meals.

Families are currently able to claim free school meals if they are on Universal Credit, as part of a package of measures to help the transition to the new benefits system.

Labour accused the Government of "pulling the rug" from underneath hundreds of thousands of poorer families as they attempted to block the changes to Universal Credit.

MPs Conor Burns, Sir Christopher Chope, Richard Drax, Tobias Ellwood, Simon Hoare, Robert Syms and Michael Tomlinson all voted against the proposed amendment from Labour.

Shadow education secretary Angela Rayner told MPs more than one million children would be entitled to free school meals without the proposed changes by ministers.

But Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey accused Labour of "scaremongering and misinformation", saying an extra 50,000 children would benefit under the plans.

"Many people, including MPs, wrongly believe that all children in poverty already get free school meals," Ms Rayner told the Commons.

"That is not currently the case, but under the transitional protections under Universal Credit there would be, those million children would be entitled to that benefit.

"It's through this secondary legislation that they're pulling the rug from underneath those families."

She added: "The current system would help over a million more children than under the plans we would vote on today."

The Department for Education says it estimates that by 2022, around 50,000 more children will benefit from a free school meal compared to the previous benefits system.

"While I understand that it is the nature of the opposition to oppose, scaremongering and misinformation from that side of the House have surely reached a new low," said Ms McVey.

"Unsubstantiated and exaggerated claims about widespread problems caused by Universal Credit amount to nothing less than scaremongering.

"They cause claimants alarm and in the worst cases, stop them getting the money they are entitled to.

"And yet where we find ourselves today, once again debating Universal Credit with the same false alarms from the shadow cabinet."

The vote was 312 to 254.

The change was one of four Government plans that Labour had called for a vote on in the Commons.

They include proposals to end childcare vouchers and instead use the tax system, as well as changes to free childcare for two-year-olds and further changes to Universal Credit.