A six-month suspension of the whip has been imposed on seven Labour MPs for their votes against the government on an amendment to remove the two-child benefit cap.
Several Labour MPs, including the former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, supported an SNP motion demanding an end to the policy that bars nearly all parents from obtaining Universal Credit or the child tax credit in the case of more than two kids.
Along with Richard Burgon, Ian Byrne, Rebecca Long-Bailey, Imran Hussain, Apsana Begum, and Zarah Sultana, Mr. McDonnell supported the SNP motion.
In the first significant test of the new Labour government’s power, MPs rejected the SNP amendment 363 to 103.
When an MP loses their whip, they are suspended from the parliamentary group and take up their seats as independent parliamentarians.
The former leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, who is currently an independent MP and signed the SNP motion, had almost allies among the rebels.
Ms. Sultana promised to “always stand up for the most vulnerable in our society” and claimed that eliminating the cap would enable “33,000 children to escape poverty” in a social media post.
Mr. Burgon expressed his disappointment at the decision to suspend him and clarified that he had raised the cap alongside “many struggling families” in his constituency of Leeds East.
Because the cap had increased and deepened child poverty and food insecurity for many East End families, Ms. Begum said she had voted against it.
Removing the cap is the “best way” to assist Mr Byrne’s constituents in Liverpool West Derby who are impoverished.
Before the vote, Mr. McDonnell declared, “I’m following Keir Starmer’s example as he said put country before party, even though I don’t like voting for other parties’ amendments.”
But there are a lot more Labour MPs who are against capping benefits at two children.
Many are hoping that in the upcoming months, the party will decide to abandon it.
According to a government source, Labour’s stance on the two-child benefit cap was predetermined before the election, and the party’s manifesto pledges were unambiguous.
By doing away with the cap, the government has stated that it is not ready to make “unfunded promises”.
Former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer acknowledged the “passion” of Labour MPs for the cause of child poverty but stated there was “no silver bullet” to end it.
The uprising represents yet another instance of Labour politicians applying pressure on the government to remove the cap.
Calls for change have also been endorsed by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar.
“It truly does cause harm, as the evidence clearly shows,” Mr. Burnham said to BBC Newsnight on Tuesday.
However, he went on to demand party cohesion and advocated for giving the government “time and space” to develop a strategy to combat poverty.
He added that the government had received a “terrible economic inheritance“.
Kim Johnson and Rosie Duffield were among 19 Labour MPs who signed another amendment calling for the cap to be lifted, which was not ultimately put to a vote.
Several prominent opponents of the cap, including Ian Lavery and Nadia Whittome, who both signed rebel amendments, abstained from the vote.
Dianne Abbott, a Labour veteran and Mother of the House did not vote due to “personal reasons,” but in a statement, she said she was “horrified” that MPs had been suspended “Party policy is supposed to apply when taking the cap off.”
Labour MP for South Shields Emma Lewell-Buck, who signed a rebel amendment, claimed that “none of the votes taking place tonight would have resulted in scrapping the cap,” so she had not voted against the government.
She stated on social media that the government will soon release the Autumn Budget and that she and her colleagues will be actively collaborating with them to include the removal of the cap.
Notwithstanding the uprising, Sir Keir easily passed the King’s Speech, the first significant test of his administration.
