There was a ripple of shock across the House of Commons on Tuesday night after Keir Starmer withdrew the whip from seven Labour MPs for backing an amendment on lifting the two-child benefit cap. Parliament’s new awkward squad includes some familiar faces of the Labour left, such as John McDonnell and Zarah Sultana. The cast list is such that it’s unlikely Keir Starmer’s inner circle will lose much sleep about these MPs being without the whip for six months. The bigger question is whether they will actually get it back.
The first rebellion of the Labour government was always seen as a key test
But while it’s the hard left who rebelled, concern over their treatment is more widespread. Labour MPs in the centre question the optics of punishing MPs over such an emotive issue as child poverty. There’s also simply the technical point that this was an amendment rather than a confidence vote – which usually such discipline would be reserved for.
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