The Bishop of Chester feels misunderstood after it was claimed he had voted in the House of Lords to support the Conservative government’s desire to cut working tax credits.

Chancellor George Osborne was dealt a major blow after the Lords voted on Monday to delay tax credit cuts and compensate those affected in full.

Labour MP John Mann tweeted afterwards: “Only one Bishop, the Bishop of Chester, voted for Osborne’s tax credit cuts. His theological rationale will make interesting reading.”

But Stephen Regan, a spokesman for the Bishop of Chester, Rt Rev Dr Peter Forster, said the MP for Bassetlaw in Nottinghamshire was simply mistaken in his view.

The spokesman said: “The tweet is simply not true. The Bishop wanted to help those who would be affected by the cuts, so he voted for Baroness Meacher’s amendment, the one that called for the cuts to be delayed until the Government responds to the Institute for Fiscal Studies and considers mitigating action. He didn’t support the other amendment because of the constitutional problems it would cause and is now causing.”

The constitutional issue arises after peers voted in favour of a motion by the former Labour minister Lady Hollis to halt the cuts until the government produces a scheme to compensate low-paid workers for three years.

Prime Minister David Cameron visiting Christleton High School with ex-MP Stephen Mosley

Furious prime minister David Cameron made clear that the upper house had ridden roughshod over conventions dating back to the aftermath of Lloyd George’s People’s Budget of 1909 and beyond, according to which peers do not interfere in financial matters.

Working tax credits are the benefit payments claimed by about 4.5m low paid workers and parents. The planned tax cuts are designed to provide £4.4bn of the chancellor’s planned £12bn in welfare cuts.

Independent researchers believe 3m families will be worse off if the payments are cut.

Related story: Prayers will be said at Chester Cathedral this Sunday for police officer killed while trying to stop a car in Wallasey.

But the government claims overall, nine out of 10 families will be better off by 2020, saying they will be compensated by wage growth and a new National Living Wage: Replacing the £6.50 minimum wage for over 24s, starting at £7.20 in April, rising to £9 an hour by 2020.