Seven MPs have been suspended by Labour for voting against the government on the two-child benefit cap.
The rebel backbenchers had backed an amendment to scrap the cap but have now lost the whip – meaning they can still sit as MPs but they do not count as Labour MPs – for the next six months, when the decision will be reviewed.
So who are the seven MPs? Sky News explains.
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John McDonnell
John McDonnell is a close ally of Jeremy Corbyn
Perhaps the most well-know of the rebels, John McDonnell‘s most prominent position in politics was as Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow chancellor.
He has been the MP for Hayes and Harlington since 1997.
Mr McDonnell had previously unsuccessfully stood to be leader in 2007 against Gordon Brown.
He was a serial rebel against the previous Labour governments – including on Iraq – and has been a prominent member of the Socialist Campaign Group (SCG).
He led the charge to vote against the government this time around.
Rebecca Long-Bailey
Rebecca Long-Bailey was sacked by Sir Keir Starmer as a shadow minister. Pic: PA
First elected in 2015, Rebecca Long-Bailey was also a member of the SCG and Mr Corbyn’s frontbench team – serving latterly as shadow business secretary.
In 2020, she stood to replace Mr Corbyn as the party’s leader but finished second – with less than half the votes of Sir Keir Starmer.
She was the pick of the Corbyn wing of the party to be leader, but this did not salvage her campaign.
Initially she served in Sir Keir’s shadow frontbench, but was sacked after sharing an article that “contained an antisemitic conspiracy theory”.
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Zarah Sultana
Zarah Sultana was first elected in 2019. Pic: PA
Another member of the SCG and former supporter of Mr Corbyn, Zarah Sultana was first elected in 2019. Since then, she has been a stalwart of the left of the party.
This is not her first brush with the party leadership. In 2022, in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine, Ms Sultana was threatened with losing the party whip for signing a letter from Stop The War Coalition which criticised NATO. She later withdrew her signature.
Ms Sultana has spoken vocally about the threats and fears for her safety she has faced as a Muslim MP.
Writing on social media after her suspension, she said scrapping the two-child benefit cap “would lift 330,000 children out of poverty”.
“I will always stand up for the most vulnerable in our society,” she added.
Richard Burgon
Richard Burgon unsuccessfully stood to be deputy leader. Pic: PA
Like the others on this list, Mr Burgon was a supporter of Mr Corbyn and is a member of the SCG.
In 2020, he stood to be the party’s deputy leader, but finished in third place behind Angela Rayner and Rosena Allin-Khan.
Elected in 2015, he was made a shadow minister in 2017 following mass resignations in protest at Mr Corbyn’s leadership of the party.
He has been criticised in the past for his support of Fidel Castro and Nicolas Maduro, as well as for reported comments he made about Zionism.
Like Ms Sultana, he signed a letter criticising NATO in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He later withdrew his signature.
Writing on social media, Mr Burgon said he was “disappointed by the decision to suspend the whip”.
He said he backed the government’s approach, but wanted to see a plan to scrap the cap and pressed Number 10 “to come forward with a plan on this”.
Apsana Begum
Apsana Begum has criticised her own party’s stance on Islamophobia. Pic: PA
Like Ms Sultana, Ms Begum was first elected in 2019.
An SCG member, she faced criticism for signing of the anti-NATO letter in 2022 that she later backed away from.
She was the UK’s first hijab-wearing MP and has spoken about her experience of facing Islamophobic and misogynistic attacks.
Ms Begum has criticised her party for its stance on Islamophobia.
In 2021, she was found not guilty of housing fraud and cleared of charges of dishonestly failing to disclose information relating to her Tower Hamlets council housing application.
On the two-child benefit cap, Ms Begum said she voted the way she did because the cap “has contributed to rising and deepening levels of child poverty and food insecurity” in her constituency.
Imran Hussain
Imran Hussain resigned over his party’s stance on the Middle East
An MP since 2015, Imran Hussain has served as a shadow frontbencher under both Mr Corbyn and Sir Keir.
He nominated Mr Corbyn for leader in 2015, and then backed Ms Long-Bailey for leader in 2020 and Mr Burgon for deputy.
Following the change in leadership, he kept his role as a shadow minister.
However, this came to an end in November last year, when he resigned in protest at Sir Keir’s refusal to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Mr Hussain said he was “disappointed” to be suspended but his constituents are “amongst the worst affected by a policy that every organisation fighting child poverty has urged the government to scrap”.
Ian Byrne
Ian Byrne was first elected in 2019. Pic: UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor
Ian Byrne is another 2019 entrant to parliament, member of the SCG and supporter of Mr Corbyn.
In 2019, before he was elected, he was branded “sexist” by then women and equalities minister Esther McVey for comments he had made on social media.
He apologised for what he said in a statement after the posts were revealed, and was backed by Mr McDonnell.
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Like other members on this list, he backed Ms Long-Bailey and Mr Burgon in the 2020 leadership and deputy leadership race.
He said he voted against the cap as experts say it’s the best way to “immediately impact” child poverty rates.