Blyth and Ashington MP Ian Lavery has slammed the party leadership after four colleagues were suspended after a major rebellion on welfare cuts. The MP, who is on the left of the party, also voiced opposition to the government’s controversial plans prior to the vote that saw major concessions granted to the rebels.
Neil Duncan-Jordan, Brian Leishman, Chris Hinchliff and Rachael Maskell all had the whip removed and will sit as independents in the House of Commons. Three other MPs – Rosena Allin Khan, Bell Ribeiro-Addy and Mohammed Yasin – have been stripped of their trade envoy roles.
In all, 47 MPs rebelled against proposed cuts to personal independence payments (PIP ), forcing ministers to water down the plans and damaging Sir Keir Starmer’s authority as Prime Minister. Lavery called the move a “terrible look” and called for greater unity between ministers and backbench MPs.
Party values
Posting on social media, Mr Lavery wrote: “Suspending Labour MPs for standing up for real Labour values is a terrible look.
“Dissatisfaction with the direction the leadership is taking us isn’t confined to the fringes – the backlash against welfare cuts went far beyond the so-called usual suspects, and many more were deeply unhappy.
“Standing up for the disabled, the vulnerable, and the working class doesn’t make someone a rebel. It makes them a representative of the values our party was founded on.”
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Lavery added: “Following the shambolic handling of both the Winter Fuel Allowance withdrawal and the changes to PIP and Universal Credit, this should have been a time to seek unity within the Parliamentary Labour Party.
“Instead, colleagues are being asked to ignore the voices of their constituents and vote for policies that will actively harm our communities, all without any vision for a better future. This moment called for reconciliation, not retribution.”
Speaking last week during a press conference alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Starmer insisted he had to “deal with” MPs who ‘repeatedly’ went against the whip. The Prime Minister pointed out the MPs were “elected on a Labour manifesto” and should therefore back government policies.
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