Keir Starmer bars Labour MPs after rebellion
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has suspended at least four Labour MPs who have had a record of voting against the government in parliament.
The Labour backbenchers to have been barred from the party include Neil Duncan-Jordan, Brian Leishman, Chris Hinchliff and Rachael Maskell.
Sources told The Times, which first reported the story, that the MPs had been suspended over “persistent breaches of party discipline”.
Reports suggest that Maskell were planning to diverge from the government on Israel-Gaza policy, with Keir Starmer repeatedly asked about Israel’s airstrikes in Gaza.
Leishman has also led opposition against planning reforms, which the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) judged to be a constructive growth policy.
Parliament will now have 20 sitting independent MPs.
Other independent MPs include Gaza-focused politicians Iqbal Mohamed and Shockat Adam, ousted Labour backbenchers John McDonnell and Apsana Begum, ex-Reform spokesmen Rupert Lowe and James McMurdock, among others.
Polls suggest a party led by the former Labour leader could eat up to 18 per cent of the electoral share, with YouGov suggesting that more than a third of 18-24 year olds would consider voting for such a party in the future.
Labour divisions
Starmer’s latest decision to penalise backbenchers reflects the sense of tension within the party.
More than 130 Labour MPs were preparing to scupper the government’s welfare reforms before officials rowed back and delayed changes until after a review and full consultation.
The cost of U-turns on welfare amount to around £6bn, with leading economists predicting sweeping tax rises in the autumn to fill shortfalls.
All of those suspended by Starmer were among 47 rebels who voted against the government’s welfare bill anyway despite concessions being made.
Bond markets have grown frustrated with the government’s apparent lack of control over backbenchers, with gilt yields spiking on Starmer’s refusal to back Rachel Reeves during a recent PMQs session.
MPs ousted have said they would continue to serve constituents.
Left-wing members of the party have been openly critical of the Labour leader over his handling of veterans of the party.
Dianne Abbott accused Starmer of treating her as a “non-person” last year after she was the target of racist abuse by a Tory donor.