Keir Starmer has removed the Labour whip from four backbench MPs, escalating a crackdown on internal dissent. Rachael Maskell, Neil Duncan-Jordan, Brian Leishman and Chris Hinchliff were told on Wednesday they had lost the whip for repeatedly rebelling against government policies, a Labour source confirmed.
The move also saw three other Labour MPs—Rosena Allin-Khan, Bell Ribeiro-Addy and Mohammad Yasin—stripped of their roles as trade envoys. The surprise action came after Downing Street had pledged to improve relations with backbenchers following a forced U-turn on controversial welfare cuts.
All four suspended MPs have been vocal critics of government policy. Maskell and Duncan-Jordan led opposition to cuts to the winter fuel allowance and welfare reforms, while Hinchliff organised a rebellion over the government's planning bill, citing concerns about its impact on nature.
The decision has sparked fury among Labour backbenchers, who accused No 10 of creating a 'climate of fear'. One MP said the government looked 'brittle' and had 'learned nothing' from the welfare rebellion, in which 47 Labour MPs broke the whip. Another described the trade envoy sackings as 'particularly weird', noting that Tory and Lib Dem envoys who vote against the government face no such penalty.
The suspended MPs issued statements expressing a desire to remain in the party, amid rumours they might defect to rival groups. Maskell said she was suspended for 'standing up for my constituents' and was 'upset that we are in this place'. Hinchliff said he hoped to return to the Labour benches, while Leishman affirmed his wish to 'remain a Labour MP and deliver the positive change many voters are craving'.
