Labour suspends seven MPs over two-child benefit cap

[EasterIssland]

Several labour mps have voted in favour of snps request to remove the 2 child benefit cap and now they’ve* *had the whip suspended for six month.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c978m6z3egno

not the best beginning for this new government

https://x.com/Keir_Starmer/status/1225465424092987393

interesting how things change when you’re in power !

Tories and Labour Two cheeks of the same arse
Really cant be bothered with either of them

I assume it's not affordable otherwise they would scrap it?

What does having the whip removed mean anyway?

They have to sit as independent MP's for six months

Seriously?
Bibby Stockholm cancelled. Rwanda flights cancelled. Workers rights bill. vat on private education.....
That's just in the first couple of weeks

They can't afford to do that and give public sector pay rises, privatise rail and water and fix prisons all at once. They need more than a week so they will have to pace themselves and come back to that once there is more money. It can't be a priority over hiring more teachers and nurses surely?

You don’t think things could change, in terms of the affordability of such a measure, in the 4 years since he posted that tweet?

Wish the media would get it right- there isn’t a two child cap on child benefit. It’s a two child cap on the universal credit child element and child tax credit.

Probably. But does he have to remove the whip for those that don’t want to vote the same as him ?

Not sure about priority but it would help families facing poverty. Sure that must be quite high up in the priority list?

Not if there are better measures to help these families.

Of course it's "affordable". The government has just chosen to prioritise spending on other things and leave people languishing in poverty. Very Labour.

Two cheeks of the same arse is spot on.

If they were under a three line whip and they vote contrary to Party position, yes, that is the consequence.

I think it's the right decision. Those rebel leftie types are the reason Labour has not been in Government for nearly 15 years. About time they were kicked out of the party altogether.

I have no skin in the game, but what would lifting the cap provide? I know it's nothing to do with 'family allowance'.

Would it give families with more than two children more money?

And yet when the party was being controlled by "leftie" types in 2017 and 2019, it won far more popular votes that Starmer managed a couple of weeks ago.

Labour hasn't been in power for 15 years because England is an inherently right of centre country that votes Tory until such time the Tories make themselves unelectable.

A news report put a woman up for interview the other week she was complaining about the two child limit because she had seven children so needed the extra money. I have to admit contraception crossed my mind

I think the 2 child cap is awful but those MPs will have known the consequences.

Starmer is going to play hardball. He has so many newby MPs who are going to get training on the job. He's seen how Drakeford handled dissension in Wales it wasn't pretty.

Martin Lewis has just posted the same advice

And when they let the prisoners out early due to overcrowding where do you think they will eventually end up living. On social housing estates like mine or near the MPs advocating for this.

Starmer is absolutely correct to stamp on these muppets, many of whom owe their seats to him. The Labour Party will certainly be a better place without the odious Richard Burgon & Zarah Sultana in it.

It’s also right to keep the benefit cap in principle. Why shouldn’t people who live on benefits face the same difficult choices & tradeoffs around having more than two children that people who actually work for a living & contribute to society & the economy have to face?

Not a fan of a Labour, but think they’ve got this right. If you can’t afford to clothe and feed more than two children without having to rely on tax credits and top ups, then stick at two. It’s not rocket science fgs. It’s a decision many people who don’t qualify for benefits have to make too.

Dont you believe that many of those on benefits contribute to society & the economy as well?

these muppets that you mention I don’t know whether they owe their seats to starmer. Pretty sure the people from their areas are really happy with them and would vote them if they were in another party as well (like it’s happened with corbyn)