One of Labours local MPs had the whip removed for standing up for Scotland and local constituents.

This week, Keir Starmer’s Labour government suspended the whip from five MPs, including Diane Abbott, Rachael Maskell, Neil Duncan-Jordan, Brian Leishman, and Chris Hinchliff, for “persistent breaches of party discipline” after they voted against the government’s controversial welfare reform bill. Three others—Rosena Allin-Khan, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, and Mohammad Yasin—were stripped of trade envoy roles.

This follows last year’s suspension of seven MPs, including John McDonnell and Zarah Sultana, for opposing the two-child benefit cap. Abbott’s suspension, announced yesterday, stems from her reiterating controversial 2023 comments in a BBC interview, where she distinguished racism based on skin colour from other forms, drawing accusations of antisemitism.

The moves have ignited fury on the Labour Left, with Abbott decrying it as an attempt to force her out, stating, “It is obvious this Labour leadership wants me out.” Critics like Shami Chakrabarti and unions call it “authoritarian,” arguing it silences voices like Maskell’s, who led the welfare rebellion to protect vulnerable constituents. Leishman and Duncan-Jordan echoed this, refusing to back policies they see as deepening austerity’s harm.

SNP Westminster Deputy Leader Pete Wishart seized on Leishman’s suspension, claiming, “The only Labour MP who has dared stand up for Scotland has been suspended by Keir Starmer—simply because he refused to betray his constituents.” Wishart argued this exposes Scottish Labour’s lack of autonomy, questioning whether branch manager Anas Sarwar approved the move or if it was “imposed by Downing Street.”

Starmer’s team, backed by Jess Phillips, insists discipline is vital to deliver the manifesto, claiming suspensions target ongoing defiance, not single votes. Yet, with 47 MPs rebelling on welfare cuts, forcing a government U-turn, the suspensions—especially Abbott’s, the longest-serving female MP, and Leishman’s, seen as a stand for Scotland—seem less about control and more about fear of further unrest.

“I stand firm in saying that the SNP is Scotland’s true defender as we head into next year’s elections. Labour, like the rest of UK politics, is veering ever further to the right, abandoning the values that once defined them. Scotland must chart its own course with independence, breaking free from Westminster’s failing direction to build a future that truly serves our people.”

– Martyn Day, SNP Candidate for Falkirk East and Linlithgow.