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

Ah yes, the popular vote for Corbyn's 2017 manifesto that fully supported the Tory benefits freeze!

McDonnell aside, the remaining 6 'rebels' care more about martyring themselves to their hard left fan club than they do about improving people's lives.

This ^^

Rachel Reeves pretty much has said that it will be the aim of government to remove it but they won't be able to do it right away.

The Tories have done so much damage to our public services and that won't be fixed over night.

Blimey that dint tek em long did it 🤣🤣

I don’t know anything about these Mps; but if you are saying they have been suspended from the party for 6 months for voting for/against something. That’s fucking outrageous!

Funny you should mention Corbyn. Reading the article two of them were very close to Corbyn who I think Starmer doesn't get on with.

It's not outrageous. It's parliamentary whip procedure.

With a majority of 174 there should be no need whatsoever for a brand new government to bring out the three-line whip on anything, unless of course, the party leadership knows full well that they are so in the wrong that the majority of the parliamentary party will not support them.

No they want to appease the Tory defectors.

Politics is a team game. Those who wish to remain part of the team have to abide by its rules, and one of those rules is ‘do not vote against the party whose logo appeared beside your name on the ballot paper on 04 July’. Breaking that rule has consequences, as these MPs have found out.

They're voting against something in the king's speech that was delivered less than a week ago and sets out Labour's future plans. The government has made it abundantly clear that they will be introducing various measures to reduce child poverty and this could include removal of the 2 child cap. They were given ample warning beforehand that they would have the whip removed if they voted against the SNP's motion. It's what happens when you don't support your party's line on something. They did it anyway. It was a masterly stroke from KS. Shows his intention to run a united and well-behaved party. Not a replica of the shambolic Tories arguing with each other and refusing to fall in line.

I'd like to have seen this in the manifesto which had almost no money raising powers - it'll go when they find some money but they didn't run the very recent election on abolishing the two child cap so Starmer did the right thing to suspend them.

Why have a manifesto if you can't even stick to the top priorities in the first year?

You do realise people "on benefits " for the most part work as hard as you?

Emily Thornberry explains this brilliantly on the latest Electoral Disfunction podcast - about how Labour have to prioritise infrastructure and tackle the roots of poverty before they can amend this. Have a listen as she explains it much better than I can!

It was always obvious Starmer was a strong leader. This is just more proof of this.

These MPs have been voted to represent their constituency and voters. If it’s something which morally they can’t do then fair enough. This was a tiny decent by a handful with a huge majority on a minor issue.

I do not like authoritarianism. I am a libertarian and when everyone is too scared to stand for their own morals and own conscience; that is when scary shit happens. That is when all the things in history that people can’t understand ‘how could that happen’ - happen.

Im not pleased with this and if they continue this I won’t vote for them again next term.

And for the record I think the 2 cap should remain! But that’s not my point.

They were clear about it in their manifesto.

This sounds sensible. I’ll try find this podcast

ETA: found it podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/has-keir-starmer-reset-britains-relationship-with/id1613562765?i=1000662756388

We have family members on benefits. They work part time to keep the benefits so no, they don’t work hard. They prefer benefits. Dc get full maintenance loans for university. The part timers are degree holders. Barely worked full time ever.

Starmer is right. I didn’t think Long Bailey was an MP after the shambles when she was an opposition minister. If they don’t like what Lsbourvis doing, after 3 weeks, you are an agitator. However we knew that - or those who follow politics did.

Benefits claimants are not doing the heavy lifting like teachers and doctors. They are barely contributing to growth as they take out more than they contribute. I accept some low wage jobs don’t help but Labour started in work benefits with Blair. Now work doesn’t pay because employers know there are benefits. It was foolish to transfer wages to the state.

These 7 are labour MPS, they are not independents. This means they cant act independently and ignore what their leader is planning. They have their prestigious job as an MP due to the labour party giving them that opportunity. Its pretty outrageous to support the SNP, a different party, over their own.

But then they know that .....and are Corbynisters playing politics and dont respect Starmer and believe in the fictitious red money tree. Thank goodness Starmer has put them back in their box so we can have faith he is financially thoughtful.🤞

The BBC are suggesting that Starmer has done this to avoid what we saw with a divided Tory party. I'm not so convinced. Ch4 news interviewed a legal team who worked with him before the election and this decision echoes a lot of what they were suggesting about him.

Personally, I don't like this at all. It reminds me a bit of the Tories trying to stamp on the public protesting.

I'm a single mum to 3 children. I receive tax credits for all three as they were born before the limit was introduced. I would have definitely struggled without it. I'm not totally against a cap though, or perhaps I feel there needs to be some form of limit. I think my neighbour having her 9th child under 12 this week whilst neither her or her partner work (presumably don't have the time) has marred my view. Although, I guess it's not stopped them so it would only be the children suffering. My neighbours before this lot had 7 but their children were mostly before the limit so I guess they did take this into consideration and...stopped? 😂

Completely agree @Inlaw

I do not like authoritarianism. I am a libertarian and when everyone is too scared to stand for their own morals and own conscience; that is when scary shit happens. That is when all the things in history that people can’t understand ‘how could that happen’ - happen.

Couldn't (and didn't) have put it better myself.

I was a bit shocked when I saw this but I’m thinking about it the Govt need to work to it what is most effective in getting children out of poverty. I trust they will as it is a high priority. Lifting the cap is a quick fix for now but when better ways are found to spend the money do you reimpose it? I think the money these families need should be targeted very carefully and a bit of time is needed to work out whether the 3 billion lifting the cap will cost is more efficiently spent elsewhere
as a NHS worker I know that a big problem is not that we do not have enough money but that we do not spend it wisely.
Starmer needs to make sure that if you are in the party you vote for our plans. Cannot have a huge number of new MPs separating into factions like the Tories have.
I do love John Mc Donnell though so feel sad about him

Starmer is continuing to not allow the left of the party to cause division

the have done enough damage to the Labour Party this past decade no need to allow them to do more

and as for Corbyn won far more votes than Starmer it’s going for the right voters that will win seats and the Tories got almost double in the last election it’s this election that matters to where we are today

With any luck they will form their own party with their group of revolutionary friends

Starmer said "people before politics, always" in his opening speech.

It's been what, a week and a half and he's shat all over that.

Thanks for keeping mothers and children in poverty, you rotten bastards.

Those 7 MPs are heroes.