- Keir Starmer suspended four Labour MPs, Rachael Maskell, Neil Duncan-Jordan, Brian Leishman, and Chris Hinchliff, for persistent breaches of party discipline after they voted against the government’s benefits bill.
- Home Office minister Jess Phillips commented on the suspensions, stating that MPs who were “slagging off [their] own government” should expect consequences.
- Rachael Maskell, one of the suspended MPs, criticised Sir Keir’s decision, asserting he was wrong to carry out a purge of rebels and hoping for reflection within the party.
- Sir Keir’s authority was further challenged when senior left-wing MP Diane Abbott reiterated her own controversial comments on racism that previously led to her suspension from the Labour Party.
- Ms Abbott, who was readmitted to Labour in 2024, stated she has no regrets about her 2023 remarks, which differentiated between racism based on colour and other forms of racism.
IN FULL
