Keir Starmer will face his first grilling as UK prime minister in the House of Commons on Wednesday, following the suspension of seven Labour MPs who rebelled against a controversial welfare policy.
The Labour leader took decisive action late Tuesday, suspending the MPs after they supported a motion to scrap the two-child limit on benefits, a policy introduced by the previous Conservative government in 2015. This cap restricts welfare payments to the first two children in most families.
Starmer, who assumed power weeks ago after leading Labour to a landslide victory in the July 4 general election, faces an early test of his authority with this internal conflict. He has acknowledged the “passion” of MPs opposing the policy but maintains that there is “no silver bullet” to ending child poverty.
The suspension, which included former finance spokesman John McDonnell, signals Starmer’s resolve to enforce party discipline and move Labour back to the political center after years of hard-left leadership under Jeremy Corbyn.
Wednesday’s Prime Minister’s Questions session at 1100 GMT will see Starmer defending his stance, with the contentious two-child cap likely to be a focal point. On Tuesday, MPs voted 363 to 103 to reject a Scottish National Party (SNP) amendment to remove the cap, reflecting substantial government support for the measure.
The Labour rebellion underscores significant unease within the party, as over 40 Labour MPs abstained from voting. Liverpool MP Kim Johnson voted with the government “for unity” but acknowledged the strong opposition within Labour, vowing that the campaign against the cap would continue.
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn criticized Labour, claiming the party had “failed its first major test in government” and now owns the policy’s consequences, including the ongoing poverty levels in the UK.
