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The government, aided by the Labour opposition, is to rush through legislation to stop it having to repay those claimants who lost benefits through being wrongly sanctioned over work experience.

The Guardian is reporting that the opposition is likely to abstain from the vote, meaning a bill can move through parliament and become law quickly.

The bill has been drafted in response to the appeal court ruling last month in the case of Cait Reilly and Jamieson Wilson, who had been forced to undertake work experience.

The government's unpaid work scheme has been ruled illegal by the Court of Appeal.

24-year-old Cat Reilly, a graduate who had been forced to work at Poundland for free while claiming Jobseeker's Allowance, brought the action, claiming it breached forced labour rules.

Unemployed HGV driver Jamieson Wilson, 40, was also named in the case.

The three-judge panel agreed with the pair, ruling that they had not received enough information about penalties for not complying and about their right to appeal.