London (TDI): British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has suspended four Labour MPs who defied the party line on welfare legislation, in a move seen as an attempt to tighten control over his increasingly divided party.
The suspensions came weeks after the lawmakers Brian Leishman, Neil Duncan-Jordan, Rachael Maskell, and Chris Hinchliff voted against a diluted version of Starmer’s welfare reform bill on July 1. The bill, which had originally proposed steep cuts to disability and sickness benefits, had already been softened following internal party backlash.
Despite leading a government with a commanding majority of around 160 seats, Starmer had earlier been forced to retreat on the initial version of the reforms to avoid an embarrassing parliamentary defeat, a move that many saw as a sign of weakened authority within his own ranks.
On Wednesday, three other Labour MPs were also removed from their trade envoy roles for siding against the government during the same vote, as tensions continue to simmer between Labour’s centrist leadership and its left-wing base.
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Leishman, who represents a Scottish constituency and will now serve as an independent MP, defended his decision, saying: “I don’t believe it’s my role as a Member of Parliament to vote for policies that push vulnerable people further into poverty.”
Duncan-Jordan, MP for Poole in southern England, echoed similar sentiments, acknowledging the personal risk of going against the party but insisting he could not support measures that would “make life harder for disabled people.”
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The disciplinary action marks another challenge in what has been a rocky first year for Starmer’s premiership. In recent weeks, he’s faced backlash over multiple policy U-turns, from abandoning plans to cut winter fuel payments for pensioners to reversing his stance on launching an inquiry into child exploitation scandals.
Political analysts say the suspensions are part of a broader effort to enforce discipline within Labour’s parliamentary ranks.
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
