Seven Labour MPs have lost the party whip after defying Starmer over an SNP-tabled King’s Speech amendment calling for the two-child benefit cap to be scrapped.
Former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, who served in Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet, along with Zarah Sultana, Apsana Begum, Richard Burgon, Ian Byrne, Imran Hussain, and Rebecca Long Bailey have been suspended for breaking the party whip on the vote.
A total of 103 MPs voted for an SNP amendment to scrap the cap in the first major backbench rebellion against Starmer’s government.
The controversial benefit policy, which was introduced under George Osborne as Chancellor, had become the topic of fierce debate among Labour ranks in recent days.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson had suggested the government is open to scrapping the cap, although Chancellor Rachel Reeves has also cautioned there would be no “unfunded” pledges to scrap it.
READ MORE: Two-child cap: Starmer says no ‘silver bullet’ despite ‘strong feeling’ in party
The amendment to the King’s Speech had been brought forward by the Scottish National Party, in what they described as a “test” for Labour’s pledge towards change.
But the amendment was voted down by 363 MPs to 103.
One Labour MP who had been on the precipice of rebelling on the two-child cap (but didn’t) told me they “get it”, as the King’s Speech is, quite literally, the party’s programme for govt
— Rachel Wearmouth (@REWearmouth) July 23, 2024
Westminster’s SNP group leader Stephen Flynn said: “The two-child cap was the Tories operating at their worst, so scrapping the cap would deliver on the promise made to the public for real change.”
19 MPs had put their names behind the SNP amendment prior to the vote, with no Labour names on that list as several Labour MPs had backed a rival amendment instead – but this was not selected to be voted on, leaving Labour MPs with a choice about whether to back a rival party’s amendment.
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