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Four Labour welfare rebels suspended

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The Labour party has suspended four MPs who were involved in the welfare rebellion, on the grounds that they were repeat offenders.

Neil Duncan-Jordan, Chris Hinchliff,  Rachael Maskell and Brian Leishman have all had the whip removed and will now sit as independent MPs until their suspension ends.

Three other rebel MPs have lost their unpaid posts as trade envoys:   Rosena Allin-Khan, Bell Ribeiro-Addy and Mohammad Yasin.

The move is seen as a warning to MPs:  one rebellion will be overlooked but don’t even consider doing it a second time.

With a large number of other welfare benefits changes in the pipeline, as well as other controversial issues such as planning law and special educational needs provision, ministers are clearly hoping to scare MPs into obedience.

Whether this is a tactic that will work, or whether it will simply increase the disconnect between the top of the party and backbenchers, remains to be seen.

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  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    rookie
    · 2 days ago
    Starmer and the gang allowed themselves to be rolled over by the rebels, then suspended them. Total cowards. They should have stood by their measures if they believed in them, and disciplined the rebels before the vote. It's obvious they only conceded to avoid defeat in the commons.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    Cheekyfeet
    · 2 days ago
    So 16 to 17 year olds will now be allowed to vote for a party that will/might take away their entitlement to benefits if they are sick and disabled until the age of 22, doesn't make sense, so 16 to 17 year olds can work, pay national insurance, pay income tax, etc but will not be able to claim any disability benefits, what sane young sick and disabled person between the age of 16 and 22 would want to vote for a party that does NOT represent them and their needs in any way?

    Also I see Kendall was flapping her robotic lips about getting the sick and disabled back into work again...was she actually at the fiasco  house commons on July 8th and 9th, obviously she didn't get the memo that her policies are crap, horrible, evil carnage dressed up as support she's in The Telegraph saying more sick and disabled people will have to go back to work to pay for an aging population blah blah blah same ole same ole drivel, but she is hell bent on making our lives a total misery may be then and only then she will be the happiest person on earth. I just hope she falls from grace with a huge bump, so I can see the next 18 months to 2 years being huge amounts of horrid vitriol in the gutter press about the disabled so I'd avoid the red tops and any Rupert Murdock media outlets..Kendall and her bunch of cohorts will revel in it! 
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      John
      · 2 days ago
      @Cheekyfeet Under the current system most people need to be 18 to claim UC LCWRA.

      The government's issue with this is people going straight from education on to UC. As getting UC health would mean they get more money and are only required to engage in support conversations. Which the government views as a perverse financial incentive and abandoning people to a life of dependency.

      What they want is no financial incentive to claiming to be incapable of working, and no option of avoiding up to full conditionality and sanctions regime at the discretion of a work coach. Removing young adults under 22 eligibility for UC health element achieves this.

      The same issue is dealt with for older people by creating the new time limited contributions based unemployment benefit. So a worker who becomes too ill or disabled to carry on in their job has to go through a period of up to full conditionality and sanctions at the discretion of a work coach. They cannot opt to get UC health because contributions based benefits take precedence over means tested benefits. And there is no financial incentive as UC health will be less money than the new contributions based unemployment benefit.

      The government blames the current welfare system for encouraging people to be deemed too ill or disabled to work. The government believes a changed welfare system will save people from a life of dependency. In effect the government thinks disability and chronic illnesses are being used as an excuse to not work and enjoy a life on the sofa at taxpayers expense. They think not working due to disability or illness is a aberrant lifestyle choice. Those who were before seen as genuinely deserving of support are now cast as taking the Mickey and deserving being demonised and scapegoated. 
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      Tallbob2
      · 2 days ago
      @Cheekyfeet I have faith young people - they can smell BS a mile off. 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    Matt
    · 2 days ago
    So, 16-17 year olds allowed to vote in the next GE? Scared Starmer? How very expedient!
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      Gingin
      · 2 days ago
      @John Like they care one iota what they promised in their manifesto. It made no mention of pulling the rug from under disabled and sick people 🙄
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      tintack
      · 2 days ago
      @Matt If he's banking on them voting Labour he might be in for a shock.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      John
      · 2 days ago
      @Matt It was in the Labour manifesto. 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    Ann
    · 2 days ago
    My greatest admiration goes to these labour Mp's who had the guts to stand up to the flawed leadership and to all the others who rebelled, these are the true labour party. As Susan said there needs to be a leadership challenge, kick out starmer and his yes men cabinet and start again with the true values of the party. 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    John
    · 2 days ago
    All four suspended Labour MPs have said how proud they are to have been elected as Labour MPs and how much they look forward to returning to the Labour fold in the future. They, along with all the Labour rebels who were not suspended, are happy to stay in Labour, to call the MPs who voted for the cuts and support more cuts friends and comrades, to support them, and at the next election stand proudly for re-election as Labour MPs on Labour's record in government. For them, the incapacity/disability benefit reforms and cuts are just a policy disagreement amongst friends. They are happy to move on to the next policy issues to discuss with their friends.

    They do not see what Labour has done and plans to do as unconscionable. If they did when the vote passed, they would have left the party in disgust. Being incapable in good conscience of remaining in the party. And condemned Labour's actions and plans to anyone willing to listen to their righteous outrage at the poverty, suffering and deaths the plans will cause.

    Personally my conscience will not permit me to condone Labour's actions by ever voting for Labour again. Even as the lesser evil. I can not support evil. Pragmatism and my conscience do not get along. Only in good conscience can I sleep and live with myself. 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    SevenLions
    · 2 days ago
    His previous role as Director of Public Prosecutions granted him the power to issue orders and commands—a position that fed his ego. Now, as a politician, he is haunted by that past authority, still acting as though he can dictate terms without dialogue or debate. He is authoritarian, tyrannical, and dictatorial. Fortunately, MPs are highly sensitive to such behavior, and his downfall is imminent—a moment I eagerly await. 

    Remember, he was responsible for Labour’s disastrous election loss in 2019 by pushing for a second Brexit referendum while in opposition. Now, in power, he will be the cause of Labour’s catastrophic defeat in the upcoming election.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    Susan
    · 2 days ago
    Someone needs to have the guts to launch a leadership campaign. This guy is a Tory. Chose the wrong side of the house. Just likes seeing himself on the world stage.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    Andy
    · 2 days ago
    I'm a little confused, how is it if we live in a so called democracy that the people we elect are threatened with losing the whip if they won't or dont vote the way they are told, so much for starmers  big speech on public service and country first party second
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    James
    · 2 days ago
    At this rate there will be very few labour mps left!
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      keepingitreal
      · 1 days ago
      @James Starmer thinks he can afford to lose a few now from his huge majority 'pour décourager les autres' but has failed to see the future cost: there will be very few labour mps left after the next general election.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    tintack
    · 2 days ago
    One of the criticisms of the leadership over the recent fiasco with the UC/PIP bill was that they had months to acknowledge the concerns of backbenchers, but consistently refused to listen and only did so at the last moment when they suddenly realised they were going to lose the vote if they didn't back down. 

    Their MPs have been complaining that the leadership is aloof and intolerant. So, they've responded to that by saying, "so they're saying we're intolerant, are they? Right, we'll soon crack down on that!". Well that should certainly calm the troubled waters........ 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    Dbr20
    · 2 days ago
    Absolutely outrageous, no better than a dictatorship where you're not allowed to have an opinion without being punished for it! No supposedly 'first world nation' government should be threatening it's own MPs into voting a certain way under duress/threats! I am so ashamed of this country. 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    rtbcpart2
    · 2 days ago
    So he's turned it into a grisly game of chance for future votes. He can't suspend every rebel, but he's thinking take out one with every spin of the barrel, and if you want to play it could be you. Call me the Keir Hunter.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      Cuckoo21
      · 1 days ago
      @rtbcpart2 I'll try but can't promise. 🤣😝
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      rtbcpart2
      · 1 days ago
      @TheDogmother @TheDogmother, @Cuckoo21, behave, you two 😉
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      TheDogmother
      · 2 days ago
      @Cuckoo21 I have to bite my tongue...hard.
      We've been driven yo profanity. 🤣😂
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      Cuckoo21
      · 2 days ago
      @TheDogmother Oh if only I could say more of what I think in life, but I would get in a lot of trouble 🤣😝🙄
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      TheDogmother
      · 2 days ago
      @Cuckoo21 Cuckoo21  🤣😂🤣😂🤣You and I both.

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