Labour suspensions: Will Starmer's crackdown backfire?

Read time: 3 minutes

In brief:

• Four Labour MPs have been suspended from the party after rebelling against welfare cuts, with a senior Labour spokesperson citing "persistent breaches of party discipline"
• Diane Abbott could also face suspension after defending her controversial 2023 comments about racism, saying she has "no regrets" - Labour has said they are taking the comments “incredibly seriously”.
• The News Agents question whether the suspension will have the desired aim of reinstating discipline into the party, or weaken Starmer’s position at a time when his coalition is splintering.

What’s the story?

Keir Starmer is cracking down on rebellious MPs following what a senior Labour spokesperson describes as "persistent breaches of party discipline".

The Prime Minister has suspended four Labour MPs from the party in an attempt to reinstate discipline after a series of rebellions.

Neil Duncan-Jordan, Brian Leishman, Chris Hinchliff and Rachael Maskell will now sit as independent MPs in the House of Commons after having the whip removed.

They are just four of the 47 MPs who rebelled against the party’s welfare cuts, forcing Starmer to U-turn and water down his proposed new policy.

It followed another heavy blow for Starmer, after he was cornered into reversing a previous policy to cut winter fuel payments for the elderly, which was also met with resistance from both MPs and the public.

“I think they're sending a message to Labour MPs that this sort of thing that we've seen over the course of the last month or two is not going to be tolerated,” Lewis Goodall says on The News Agents.

Three other MPs - Rosena Allin Khan, Bell Ribeiro-Addy and Mohammed Yasin - were stripped of their trade envoy jobs.

It comes after Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana, two former Labour MPs, announced they were setting up a new left-wing party to rival Labour.

Could Diane Abbott be the next MP to have the whip suspended?

Amongst the turmoil, Labour have also said it is looking into a recent interview by Diane Abbott in which she stood by comments she previously made about racism.

In a letter to the Observer in April 2023, she suggested people of colour experienced racism in a different way to Jewish people, Irish people and Travellers.

She withdrew the remarks after facing criticism, but was suspended from the party for one year, only being reinstated just before the 2024 general election.

When asked by the BBC more recently if she regretted the comments, she said: “No, not at all.”

She added: “Clearly, there must be a difference between racism which is about colour and other types of racism because you can see a Traveller or a Jewish person walking down the street, you don't know."You don't know unless you stop to speak to them or you're in a meeting with them.”

Labour has said it is taking her comments “incredibly seriously,” and “will assess them in line with the Labour Party's rules and procedures."

“Our Labour source is saying that it's very likely that Abbott's going to lose the whip as a result of it,” Lewis says.

“And so we're just back to square one.”

What’s The News Agents’ take?

“People are saying: How could Keir Starmer possibly kick people out if he’s also saying at the same time, I'm going to be on a listening exercise?” Jon says.

“I think actually you can.”

Jon believes that it's not only Starmer that needs to listen, but backbenchers do too, as they "can't keep saying no to everything and organising against the government" when difficult fiscal decisions need to be made.

"There is a cost associated with being outspoken, with organising against your own government, and there is a line that you cannot cross," he adds.

But the suspensions come at a curious time, leaving Emily Maitlis to wonder if it's a calculated move.

“Why didn't he do it a week earlier? It feels almost late that he's doing it now,” Emily says.

A source tells her that they “absolutely” think the four suspended MPs will have the whip restored, possibly within six months.

“There is a world in which you get the summer out of the way - when you don't need your majority for any votes,” Emily says.

“Then, pretty much by December, they're being welcomed back in. And you make sure that the lesson has been learned, the signal has been clear, they're back in line, and they will vote.”

But if this is the case and the MPs continue to rebel once back in the party, Starmer will look “ridiculous,” Jon says.

The big question is whether, in the long run, suspending his own MPs will make Starmer stronger or weaker.

Will the telling off send a strong message to other MPs to stay in line, or will it - as with Corbyn and Sultana - push them away?

“If you've got a problem with your coalition splintering, is it a good idea to further legitimise that and push them in that direction?” Lewis asks.

“I don't think so, personally, but I can see why those around Starmer think it might be, because that is their reflexive instinct, and they actually think it strengthens them,” he adds..

“I personally think over time, it weakens them.”

Listen to the latest episode of The News Agents.