– UK PM Faces Parliamentary Scrutiny Amid Internal Party Strife
Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to face his inaugural House of Commons questioning session on Wednesday, following a controversial decision to suspend seven Labour MPs. The suspension came after these members rebelled against the party line on a divisive welfare policy.
Late Tuesday, Starmer took decisive action against the Labour rebels who supported a motion calling for the abolition of the two-child benefit limit, a policy introduced by the previous Conservative administration in 2015. This cap restricts welfare payments to the first two children in most families.
The rebellion serves as an early challenge to Starmer’s leadership, testing his ability to maintain party discipline. While acknowledging the “passion” of MPs opposing the policy, Starmer has cautioned that there is “no quick fix” to eradicating child poverty.
The suspension of the whip from this group of left-wing MPs, including former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, is being interpreted as a display of Starmer’s determination to assert control over his party.
Starmer, who assumed office just weeks ago following Labour’s landslide victory in the July 4 general election, has spent the last four years steering the party back towards the political center after the hard-left leadership of Jeremy Corbyn. Under Corbyn, Labour suffered its worst electoral defeat in nearly a century in 2019.
The Prime Minister’s Questions session at 11:00 GMT is likely to feature heated discussions on the two-child cap, among other pressing issues.
A late Tuesday vote saw MPs reject a Scottish National Party (SNP) amendment to abolish the cap by 363 to 103, giving the government a substantial majority of 260. However, the abstention of over 40 Labour MPs from the vote underscores the significant unease within the party regarding this policy.
Liverpool MP Kim Johnson, who voted with the government “for unity,” warned that the strength of feeling within the party on this issue was “undeniable,” suggesting that the campaign against the cap would continue.
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn criticized Labour for “failing its first major test in government” by not delivering “meaningful change from years of Tory misrule.” He asserted that the two-child cap was now Labour’s responsibility, urging the party to “take ownership of the damage it is causing, including the appalling levels of poverty in the UK.”
As Starmer navigates these early challenges, his ability to balance party unity with policy decisions will be closely watched by both supporters and critics alike.