Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has suspended four MPs from Labour over repeated breaches of party discipline.
Neil Duncan-Jordan, Brian Leishman, Chris Hinchliff and Rachael Maskell have had the party whip removed, meaning the MPs will sit as independents in the House of Commons.
Three other Labour MPs – Rosena Allin Khan, Bell Ribeiro-Addy and Mohammed Yasin – have been stripped of their trade envoy roles.
It comes after all four of the suspended MPs and the former trade envoys voted against the government’s welfare reform bill earlier this month.
In all, 47 Labour MPs rebelled against the government’s proposed cuts to welfare and forced ministers to water down their plans.
The rebellion undermined Sir Keir’s authority, which was weakened after a series of policy reversals, such as restoring the winter fuel allowance to millions of pensioners.
The MP for York Central, Maskell was a key figure in organising the rebellion against the welfare bill.
In a debate in the Commons, Maskell called the bill an “omnishambles” and described the benefits changes as “Dickensian cuts belong to a different era and a different party”.
Maskell told the BBC she had been elected to Parliament to speak up for her constituents.
“I don’t see myself as a rebel,” Maskell said. “But I’m not afraid to speak up about whatever is in my constituents’ interests.”
In a message to the prime minister, she said: “I’m here to build a bridge with you.”
Duncan-Jordan, Leishman and Hinchliff were all elected as Labour MPs for the first time last year.
Duncan-Jordan, the MP for Poole, organised a letter warning the government’s welfare changes were “impossible to support” without a “change of direction”.
In a statement, Duncan-Jordan said: “Since being elected I have consistently spoken up for my constituents on a range of issues, including most recently on cuts to disability benefits. I understood this could come at a cost, but I couldn’t support making disabled people poorer.
“Although I’ve been suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party today, I’ve been part of the Labour and trade union movement for 40 years and remain as committed as ever to its values.
“To my constituents: it’s business as usual. I remain your hardworking local MP, I will continue to take up your concerns and speak up for Poole.”
Leishman, the MP for Alloa and Grangemouth, has also been an outspoken critic of the government’s shake-up of the benefits system.
He said: “I am a proud Labour member, and I remain committed to the party. I wish to remain a Labour MP and deliver the positive change many voters are craving.
“I have voted against the government on issues because I want to effectively represent and be the voice for communities across Alloa and Grangemouth. I firmly believe that it is not my duty as an MP to make people poorer, especially those that have suffered because of austerity and its dire consequences.
“It is the honour of my life to be the MP for Alloa and Grangemouth, and my priority remains representing and fighting for constituents, whether they voted for me or not.”
Hinchliff said: “I remain proud to have been elected as a Labour MP and I hope in time to return to the Labour benches.
“In the meantime I will continue to fight every day for the needs of my constituents and nothing will change in how I engage with and represent those I was elected to serve.”
The four suspended MPs had also rebelled against the government in votes on elements of different legislation, including the Planning and Infrastructure Bill and the Public Authorities Bill.
But the welfare reforms have been the biggest source of discontent among Labour backbenchers.
Dozens of Labour MPs expressed concerns about the government’s plans to cut disability and sickness-related benefits, in an effort to save £5bn a year by 2030.
More than 120 Labour MPs threatened to block the bill, putting the government at risk of defeat.
Ministers offered significant concessions to placate rebel Labour MPs and the diluted bill was ultimately voted through the Commons.
But dozens of Labour MPs still opposed the bill, marking a major revolt for a party that won a huge majority in last year’s general election.
Sir Keir did attempt to instil party discipline soon after the election by suspending seven Labour MPs who voted against the government on a proposal to scrap the two-child benefit cap.
One of the rebel MPs was Zarah Sultana, who recently quit Labour and said she would found a new party with former Labour leader, now independent MP Jeremy Corbyn.
In a post on X, Sultana said Labour was “punishing MPs who opposed cuts that would push 800,000 disabled people into poverty”.
She added: “Insecure men. No vision. No compassion.”
John McDonnell, who also had the Labour whip removed after voting to lift the two-child benefit cap, said Duncan-Jordan had responded to his suspension in a dignified way.
“Speaking up for his constituents and following his conscience are the crimes he committed,” he posted.
The suspensions of the four MPs come before Parliament breaks for its summer recess.
Richard Holden, the shadow paymaster general for the Conservatives, said the suspensions were a “desperate attempt to distract from yet another surge in inflation today and the secret tax plan for this autumn which Starmer accidentally revealed in PMQs”.
