Starmer suspends seven Labour MPs over child benefit rebellion

Seven Labour MPs have had the whip removed for rebelling against Sir Keir Starmer over the two-child benefit cap.

The rebels, including John McDonnell, the former shadow chancellor, have had the whip suspended for at least six months, The Telegraph understands.

They had voted for an amendment to the King’s Speech tabled by the Scottish National Party calling on the Government to “immediately abolish” the cap.

The cap was introduced in 2017 and prevents parents from claiming child tax credit or universal credit for their third and any subsequent children.

Sir Keir said on multiple occasions during the election campaign that his Government would not scrap the cap because of the economic implications.

But there had been numerous calls among Labour MPs for the Government to commit to immediately abolishing the limit, along with threats to rebel over the issue.

But ultimately just a fraction of the number needed to defeat the Government on the issue rebelled, with the amendment being voted down by 361 votes to 101.

Suspensions a sign of ruthlessness

Those who did vote with the SNP were suspended less than an hour after the vote concluded, in a sign of ruthlessness from the new Government.

They will now sit as independent MPs until the party returns the whip to them.

There had been calls for the cap to be abolished not just from Left-wing MPs but from across the political spectrum, including Gordon Brown, the former Labour prime minister, and Suella Braverman, the former Tory home secretary.

A new child poverty task force was launched last week in an attempt to see off dissent over the issue of the cap.

But Labour MPs pressed ahead with tabling their own amendment to the King’s Speech to express their discontent that the Government had not pledged to scrap it.

Nineteen backbenchers, led by Kim Johnson, put their names to the motion, which was ultimately not selected by the Speaker.

Ms Johnson did not vote with the SNP, saying that she sided with her own party “for unity”.

But the MP for Liverpool Riverside added that “the massive strength of feeling is undeniable”. She added: “It must be a priority for our first Budget.”

Mr McDonnell said in a video on X before the vote: “I’m putting lifting children out of poverty before party whipping or anything like that”.

He added: “It’s really iniquitous, it has forced large numbers of children into poverty and causes real hardship. So I believe we should get rid of it at the first opportunity.”

Abolition ‘would lift 330,000 children out of poverty’

Another of those suspended, Zarah Sultana, posted on social media: “I have been informed by the Chief Whip & the Labour Party leadership that the whip has been withdrawn from me for voting to scrap the two-child benefit cap, which would lift 330,000 children out of poverty.

“I will always stand up for the most vulnerable in our society.”

Downing Street earlier on Tuesday insisted that the Government’s position on the two-child cap “has not changed since before the election”.

The Prime Minister’s spokesman said: “The position on the policy and the public finances has not changed since before the election.

“Indeed the Chancellor has actually set out the situation facing the public finances is worse than previously thought.”