Labour Suspends 7 MPs Over 2-Child Benefit Cap Rebellion

Labour MP Zarah Sultana arrives at BBC Broadcasting House in London on July 21, 2024. Peter Nicholls/Getty Images

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has suspended seven Labour MPs after they rebelled against the government by backing a motion to abolish the two-child benefit cap.

Ex-shadow chancellor John McDonnell, ex-Business Secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey, Apsana Begum, Richard Burgon, Ian Byrne, Imran Hussain, and Zarah Sultana had their whip suspended for six months.

In the first Commons rebellion for Labour, the government on Tuesday defeated an SNP-led amendment to scrap the welfare benefit by 363 votes to 103.

Mr. McDonnell had said before the vote that he doesn’t “like voting for other parties’ amendments” but he “put country before party.”

After she was informed about her suspension, Ms. Sultana said on social media platform X that she will “always stand up for the most vulnerable in our society.”

Mr. Hussain and Mr. Burgon said on X they were “disappointed” by the party decision to suspend the whip.

“But as an MP in an area where 45 percent of children live in poverty, one of the highest in the country, I simply believe that this strategy must include scrapping this measure. That’s something that many struggling families in my area have raised with me,” said Mr. Burgon, who is MP for Leeds East.

Ms. Begum, who represents the constituency of Poplar and Limehouse in east London, said on X that the benefit cap contributes to “rising and deepening levels of child poverty and food insecurity for many East End families.”

Child Poverty

The SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn, the former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, and other policymakers behind the motion called on the government to recognise the impact of the welfare cap.

They said that it affects 1.6 million children in the country, pushing them into poverty. The amendment also said that if maintained, the policy will result in 670,000 additional children suffering poverty by the end of this Parliament.

The two-child limit was introduced in 2015 and applies to families with a third or subsequent child born after April 2017 claiming means-tested Child Tax Credit or Universal Credit, which is replacing Child Tax Credit.

The limit does not apply to Child Benefit, which is not means tested, and parents can claim for Universal Credit and Child Benefit at the same time.

Labour MP and former shadow chancellor of the Exchequer John McDonnell leaving BBC Broadcasting House in London on Oct. 16, 2022. Hollie Adams/Getty Images

Speaking at the Farnborough Air Show on Monday, Sir Keir said that there is “no silver bullet” to end child poverty. However, he acknowledged the “passion” of backbenchers who opposed the benefit cap.

Labour MP Kim Johnson was among those who rejected the motion. She said on X that although she “voted with the government for unity,” the political sentiment in support of the cap abolition is “undeniable.”

“It must be must be a priority for our first budget,” Ms. Johnson said.

The suspension of seven MPs so early in Labour’s leadership could signify how the party plans to deal with rebellions over policies the government is not prepared to fund.

Ambitious Strategy

Campaigners have been pressing on the government to kick off the fight against child poverty by removing the benefit cap imposed by the Conservative government.

“There needs to be a long-term strategy, but the first step every expert agrees on to reduce child poverty is to scrap the two-child benefit cap,” Dan Paskins, interim executive director of policy at Save the Children UK, said in a statement.

Chair of the End the Child Poverty Coalition, Joseph Howes, has warned that if the restriction isn’t lifted as part of Labour’s upcoming child poverty strategy, it will work against other positive measures in place.

Last week, the government announced that a new Child Poverty Unit in the Cabinet Office will work on an “ambitious strategy” to improve “children’s experiences and chances at life.”

Secretaries of state from across government will take part in this work, with the first meeting scheduled to take place in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, the government said it will explore how it can use levers across employment, housing, children’s health, childcare, and education to develop its strategy.

“We will turn the tide on rising poverty levels, so that every child no matter where they come from has the best start in life,” said Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall.

Since 2010, child poverty has risen by 700,000 children, with over 4 million children now growing up in a low-income family.