Seven suspended Labor MPs could face fresh action from party bosses if they vote against the government’s decision to introduce trial winter fuel payments, HuffPost UK can reveal.
John McDonnell, Richard Burgon, Zarah Sultana, Ian Byrne, Apsana Begum, Imran Hussain and Rebecca Long-Bailey had their parties taken down for six months in July after defying Keir Starmer to back calls to cut the double child benefit. scrapped.
However, they are still expected to vote with the government while serving the suspension.
A party source said: “Their suspension letter says they are still expected to follow the Labor whip sent to them every week.
Ministers have agreed a Commons vote next Tuesday on Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ controversial decision to scrap winter fuel payments for around 10 million pensioners.
Two of the seven rebels – McDonnell and Sultana – have already said they are prepared to vote against the government again if ministers do not tone down their plans.
Four others – Burgon, Hussain, Byrne and Begum – also signed a Commons motion calling on ministers to turn around.
Sultana told HuffPost UK: “I plan to vote to keep pensioners out of fuel poverty, as I did when I voted to lift the cap of two child benefits to keep children out of poverty.
“I’m looking forward to the whipping trial, which ends in January.”
McDonnell said: “I told the whips that unless the government came up with a serious change to its proposal, I would vote against it.”
But HuffPost UK has found that if they vote against the government, they are unlikely to get Labour’s whip back when their current suspension ends in January.
A Labor source said: “It is shameful that some MPs who were only too happy to ride on the tail of the party’s electoral success are now using the incredibly difficult things we have to do to undermine the government and their colleagues again. .
“If they are comfortable spending time with Jeremy Corbyn and his friends, they should be honest.
Labor insiders fear that up to 20 of the party’s MPs could rebel on Tuesday, but there are no plans to remove the whip at this stage.
