Four Labor MPs who lost the Party whip in July for “persistent rebels” have been cleared, the latest in a series of repeated backbenchers to be allowed back into the fold.
Neil Duncan-Jordan, Chris Hinchliff, Brian Leishman and Rachael Maskells have spoken to the Party’s chief whip, and allowed the whip to focus on how to move from suspension, it is understandable.
The decision to slaughter the four of the whip surprised and scared many colleagues of their colleagues who imposed disciplinary discipline in the government’s seizure of government reform last month.
All four MPs have been vocally critical of many government policies. Maskell, the York Central MP, and Duncan-Jordan, who represents Poole, led opposition to the fuel and welfare reforms in the winter.
Hinchliff, the MP for North East Hertfordshire, organized a rebellion because of the plongnship of the government’s planning, which concerns about its impact. Of the suspended MPS, all but Maskell from 2024 intake of labor.
At the same time, the whips of the Party took away the envoy rules from three other MPS who rebelled – Rensa Allin-Khan, Bell Ribeiro-Addy.
In response to the return of the whip, Hinchliff said: “I am delighted to be back in the parliamentary party and to welcome new interpretations in the new months.
“As ever, my focus remains on serving the communities of North East Hertfordshire and contributing to the historic mission of working to make people and nature better before us.”
Duncan-Jordan told the Pa News Agency: “I’ve been part of the labor movement and the Trade union for 40 years, so I’m happy that the labor whip has been restored today.
“I will continue to work for my constituents in Poole and stand up for Labor values - tackling poverty, raising living standards and building a fairer society.”
Maskell said he was “Labour to the core and will always stand up for Labour’s causes”, after the festival was restored.
The MP told the PA News Agency: “I will continue to work for my constituents in York as their job and co-operative MP.”
In 2024, shortly after the general election, seven more Labor MPs lost the whip for supporting a child cap amendment that called out child poverty.
Four of them, Rebecca Long-bailey, Ian Byrne, Imran Hussain and Richard Burgon, had their whips restored in January and February. Two others, John McDonnell and Apsana Begum, made it back in September.
The last of the Seven, Zarah Sultana, cut the hard work and tried to launch a new left to the left of Jeremy Corbyn, who was also elected in the 2024 election as an independent.
Sultana is one of a number of other MPS elected last year on the Labor ticket who are still sitting as independents, including Diane Abbott.
In July this year, in a separate case to that of four other MPS, Abbott was suspended for the second time after he did not say his previous words in the last parliament.
Abbott said that people of color experience “all their lives”, which is different from the “prejudice” experienced by Jews, Irish people. He was again suspended after telling the BBC that his comments were “absolutely correct, as any fair-minded person would accept”.
Other former MPs still sitting as independents are Rosie Duffield, who resigned from the parliamentary party a few months after the election; Andrew Gwynne, who was sacked as a minister and lost the whip after angry messages appeared in a Whatsapp group he was part of: And Dan Norris, who was suspended after he was arrested on suspicion of rape and child offenses.