Labour Members of Parliament John McDonnell and Apsana Begum have been readmitted to the Labour Party, concluding a year-long suspension. Their suspension resulted from their vote in support of a Scottish National Party motion to abolish the two-child benefit cap, a policy restricting Universal Credit or child tax credit payments for a third or subsequent child born after April 2017. This vote, which took place shortly after Labour’s 2024 general election victory, contravened the party’s initial stance on the policy.
McDonnell and Begum were among seven left-wing MPs who supported the SNP motion. Six of these MPs have now had their party whip restored; Richard Burgon, Ian Byrne, Imran Hussain, and Rebecca Long-Bailey rejoined Labour approximately seven months prior.
While Labour had initially asserted it would not make “unfunded promises” by abolishing the cap, the party’s position has since evolved. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson recently stated that scrapping the two-child benefit cap was “on the table,” signaling a potential policy shift. The Labour Party has not issued a comment regarding the specific reasons for the MPs’ readmission. Concurrently, the government’s anticipated Child Poverty Strategy, expected in spring, remains unpublished.
Source: www.bbc.com