Stephen Crabb's voting record shows support for welfare and benefits cuts

Stephen Crabb has not rebelled once since last year's General Election

Stephen Crabb also voted against the Equality Act of Sexual Regulation Orientation 2007, which outlaws discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation (AFP/Getty Images)

Loyal to the Conservative Party, Stephen Crabb, the new Department of Work and Pensions Secretary, has a strong record of voting in support of his predecessor's controversial cuts to welfare benefits.

He replaced Iain Duncan Smith, who resigned after saying the planned cuts to disability benefits were "not defensible" in a Budget that benefited higher-earning taxpayers.

Toeing the party line, Mr Crabb has not rebelled once since the General Election last May, according to The Public Whip, a not-for profit organisation which compiles the votes of each member of Parliament.

Welfare

When it comes to welfare, Mr Crabb rigorously backed IDS's benefits cuts.

He supported the introduction of the so-called bedroom tax, universal credits and the controversial disability benefit, the Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

He voted not to increase welfare benefits in line with inflation and against prolonging the benefit payment of those unable to work because of a disability or illness.

In 2013, Mr Crabb voted to cap the total amount of welfare benefits an individual can claim at £350 for a single person and £500 for couple per week.

He also supported to cut universal credits for many people in paid work, not to exclude child benefit from the benefit cap and to reduce the number of people claiming tax credits.

Lords reform

Mr Crabb voted twice against his party's majority to reform the House of Lords. In 2007, he agreed to remove hereditary peers from the House of Lords and in 2012, he voted in favour of introducing elected peers and establishing a 15 year terms for most members.

Assisted dying and equality

He has consistently opposed allowing terminally ill people to be given assistance to end their life and voted against the Equality Act of Sexual Regulation Orientation 2007, which outlaws discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.

Defence

On foreign policy and defence, Mr Crabb is in favour of replacing Trident with a new nuclear weapon system and he repeteadly voted to use UK forces in military operations overseas, including continued intervention in Afghanistan in 2010 and supporting UK air-strikes against Isis in Syria.

During the Coalition Government in 2010, Mr Crabb was an assistant whip, ensuring his peers voted along the party line, and he attended more than 80 per cent of all votes held in the House of Commons.

Drugs and abortion

The few times the new Work and Pensions Secretary rebelled include opposing the reclassification of cannabis from a Class C drug to Class B and objections to requiring independent advice be made available to women requesting an abortion.

Tax

Consistently voting in favour of raising the threshold at which people start paying income tax, he also backed reducing corporation tax and scrapping the Education Maintenance Allowance in England, which financially support 16 to 19-year-olds to study, whose parents' taxable income is below a certain level.

Between 2005 and 2010, Mr Crabb defied his own party whip 10 times, according to The Public Whip.