LONDON (BN24) — Keir Starmer has suspended four Labour MPs for “repeated breaches of discipline,” in a dramatic escalation of tensions following the government’s bruising struggle to pass controversial welfare reforms.
The move came hours after a grim-faced Prime Minister’s Questions session and weeks of internal turmoil, culminating in a major rebellion on welfare cuts that forced a series of government U-turns.
Three of the suspended MPs — Neil Duncan-Jordan (Poole), Brian Leishman (Alloa and Grangemouth), and Chris Hinchcliff (North East Herefordshire) — were only elected at the last general election. The fourth, Rachael Maskell (York Central), has served in Parliament for a decade.
All four will now sit as independents and will be barred from standing as Labour candidates at the next election unless readmitted. Allies said they were “devastated” and shocked by the severity of the action.
Three other MPs — Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, and Mohammed Yasin — lost frontbench roles over their participation in the revolt. All were among 47 Labour MPs who defied the whip to oppose the government’s welfare overhaul, despite significant concessions.
Ministers ultimately pushed the legislation through by 335 votes to 260 after watering down large parts of the plan to prevent a total collapse. The government exempted existing Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants from tougher new rules and agreed to delay further changes pending a review.
The only measure MPs passed was a reduction in Universal Credit sickness benefits for new claimants, from £97 to £50 a week. Even so, the compromise left Chancellor Rachel Reeves facing a multibillion-pound fiscal shortfall — likely to require tax increases to plug the gap. Reeves reportedly broke down in tears during the first PMQs after the vote.
Many Labour MPs had believed the leadership would engage in dialogue after the rebellion rather than impose sweeping punishments. “When Number 10 said they were committed to engagement, this was not what we expected,” one MP said.
Meanwhile, the government suffered an additional setback as peers voted to strip out another manifesto pledge. The House of Lords defeated a Labour proposal to grant “day one” protection against unfair dismissal for new workers, backing instead a Tory amendment reducing the qualifying period from two years to six months.
The 304–160 vote sets up a fresh confrontation when the Employment Rights Bill returns to the Commons for “ping-pong,” where the Houses attempt to resolve their differences.
The bill would also expand immediate rights to sick pay, paternity leave and flexible working, and impose new restrictions on so-called “fire and rehire” tactics.
news.sky
