The list of suspended Labour MPs has grown significantly since Keir Starmer took power in July 2024. From welfare rebels to budget defectors, multiple Labour MPs have had the whip removed. This is the full, updated guide to Labour MPs currently suspended, those under investigation, and every disgraced Labour MP who has faced party discipline since the last general election.
What Does It Mean When a Labour MP Is Suspended?
When a Labour MP is suspended, the party withdraws the “whip” the official instruction to vote with the party. MPs can be suspended from sitting in the House of Commons by the Speaker for disorderly conduct, or by the Standards Committee and Independent Expert Panel for more serious misconduct.
A Labour MP suspended from Parliament loses their party membership in the parliamentary group. During a suspension, MPs cannot take part in votes or debates, and their pay is also suspended. When the whip is removed by the party rather than Parliament itself the MP can still attend and vote, but they sit as an independent. This is the most common form of suspension in the list of suspended Labour MPs since 2024.
How Many Labour MPs Are Currently Suspended?
As of early 2026, there are currently zero Labour MPs formally suspended from Parliament itself, as most who lost the whip have since had it restored. However, the total number of Labour MPs who have been suspended at some point since the 2024 election either from the party whip or from Parliament runs into double figures when the full list of suspended Labour MPs from 2024 to 2026 is reviewed.
Labour currently holds 402 seats with a majority of 165 in the House of Commons. The repeated suspensions across the list of Labour MPs under investigation have damaged the party’s image of unity and discipline.
The 2024 Rebel Suspension The Original List of Suspended Labour MPs
The most significant mass suspension in modern Labour history came just weeks after the party won the 2024 general election.
On 23 July 2024, Labour withdrew the whip from seven of its MPs who had supported an SNP amendment to scrap the two-child benefit cap. This became the founding moment of the list of suspended Labour MPs under Starmer’s government.
The seven Labour MPs suspended for six months were John McDonnell, Richard Burgon, Ian Byrne, Rebecca Long-Bailey, Imran Hussain, Apsana Begum and Zarah Sultana, who subsequently sat as independents but remained members of the Labour Party.
All seven were among the most prominent left-wing Labour MPs currently suspended at that time. The list of suspended Labour MPs 2024 caused immediate controversy, with many critics accusing Starmer of silencing dissent rather than governing with consensus.
List of Suspended Labour MPs 2025 Whip Gradually Restored
Throughout early 2025, the list of Labour MPs currently suspended gradually shrank as the party began restoring the whip.
In early 2025, Burgon, Byrne, Long-Bailey and Hussain had the whip restored and were re-admitted to the Labour parliamentary group, whilst McDonnell, Begum and Sultana remained suspended after continuing to criticise government policy.
Zarah Sultana then removed herself permanently from the list of suspended Labour MPs by leaving the party altogether. In July 2025, Sultana announced she would be leaving Labour to co-found a new party alongside former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.In September 2025, following the appointment of Jonathan Reynolds as Chief Whip, the whip was restored to McDonnell and Begum. With that, the original list of suspended Labour MPs from the two-child benefit cap rebellion was formally closed nearly 14 months after it began.
The Welfare Reform Suspensions New Names on the List
July 2025 brought a fresh batch of names to the list of suspended Labour MPs. The trigger was the government’s deeply controversial welfare reform bill.
Neil Duncan-Jordan, Brian Leishman, Chris Hinchliff, and Rachael Maskell all had the Labour whip removed, meaning they would now sit as independents. The decision followed their roles in a significant backbench rebellion that saw 47 Labour MPs oppose the proposed welfare cuts.
Three other rebel MPs Rosena Allin-Khan, Bell Ribeiro-Addy and Mohammad Yasin had their unpaid posts as trade envoys removed, though they were not added to the formal list of suspended Labour MPs. The distinction mattered: losing a trade envoy role is a demotion, not a full suspension.
The suspended MPs were vocal about why they defied party orders. Rachael Maskell said: “The reason I have been suspended is because I voted in the way I did. I believe I am fighting for people that really matter the poorest people in society.”
These four welfare rebels were among the most prominent disgraced Labour MPs of the summer 2025 period, according to critics of Starmer’s leadership.
Whip Restored to Welfare Rebels But the Damage Was Done
By November 2025, the welfare rebel entries on the list of suspended Labour MPs 2025 were removed.
Neil Duncan-Jordan, Chris Hinchliff, Brian Leishman, and Rachael Maskell all had the Labour whip restored following a review of their recent conduct and discussions with Chief Whip Jonathan Reynolds.
Maskell said she was “Labour to the core and will always stand up for Labour values,” while Duncan-Jordan said he was “pleased to have had the Labour whip restored” and would “continue working hard for my constituents.”
However, the damage to party unity had already been done. Many observers noted that the pattern of suspending and reinstating Labour MPs under investigation or those who rebelled rather than resolving the underlying policy disagreements was undermining public trust in the government.
List of Suspended Labour MPs 2026 The Farm Tax Rebel
The most recent significant addition to the list of suspended Labour MPs came in December 2025, carrying into 2026.
Markus Campbell-Savours, MP for Penrith and Solway, had the whip suspended from the Labour Party in December 2025 for voting against plans to extend the inheritance tax to farmers.
Campbell-Savours was the only Labour MP to actually vote against the increase in inheritance tax for farmland, though more than 20 other mostly rural Labour MPs abstained.
The proposal passed by 327 votes to 182, but more than 80 Labour MPs abstained, reflecting widespread discomfort within the party. The fact that only one MP was added to the list of suspended Labour MPs despite mass abstentions drew criticism from both left and right of the party.
Campbell-Savours said: “I was one of those Labour candidates who reassured farmers that agricultural property relief would not be touched. I want to be able to walk around my community knowing I did all I could for them. I cannot break my word.”
The Broader Picture Disgraced Labour MPs and Misconduct Cases
Beyond political rebellions, the list of Labour MPs under investigation has also included misconduct allegations unrelated to voting records.
Cases from previous parliaments include Claudia Webbe, whose whip was suspended in September 2020 after she was charged with harassment; Rupa Huq, suspended in September 2022 following allegations of making racist comments; and Diane Abbott, whose whip was suspended in April 2023 after she compared racism against Jewish, Irish and Traveller people to prejudice experienced by people with red hair.
These cases from the previous parliament form the historical context of the list of suspended Labour MPs. The Commons Standards Committee and the Independent Expert Panel exist precisely to handle such cases where the allegations go beyond political disagreements.
There are three main avenues that may lead to the suspension of an MP: misbehaviour in the chamber, breaking the Code of Conduct, and recommendations from the Independent Expert Panel in all cases, the House must agree to a motion suspending a Member.
Impact What Repeated Suspensions Mean for Labour
The growing list of suspended Labour MPs points to a deeper tension within the party. Keir Starmer’s government holds a large parliamentary majority but has struggled to maintain discipline across a large, ideologically diverse parliamentary group.
One Labour MP reacted to the welfare suspensions by saying the government was “a misjudgement and an extremely poor political decision,” adding that it “only demonstrates how badly out of touch this government is not only from their own MPs but from their own constituents.”
The pattern of Labour MPs currently suspended, reinstated, then potentially suspended again does not project strength. It projects a government that is reactive rather than in command of its own parliamentary base.
Conclusion What Happens Next With Suspended Labour MPs
The list of suspended Labour MPs 2026 is currently short, with most who lost the whip in recent years having had it restored. But with major policy battles ahead including planning reform, special educational needs provision, and ongoing welfare changes the list of Labour MPs under investigation or at risk of suspension is unlikely to stay empty for long.
The question is not whether more Labour MPs will be suspended from Parliament or from the whip. The question is whether Starmer’s government will find a way to manage dissent without repeatedly turning colleagues into disgraced Labour MPs in the eyes of the public.
FAQs
How many Labour MPs are there?
Labour currently holds 402 seats in the House of Commons with a majority of 165. This makes it the largest parliamentary party in the UK by a significant margin. The large size of the parliamentary group many of whom were newly elected in 2024 is part of why managing discipline and keeping the list of suspended Labour MPs under control has been a challenge for the party leadership.
What has happened to David Lammy?
David Lammy has not appeared on the list of suspended Labour MPs. He remains a senior and powerful figure in the government. David Lammy has served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Secretary of State for Justice, and Lord Chancellor since September 2025, having previously served as Foreign Secretary from July 2024 to September 2025. He is one of the most senior Labour MPs currently serving in government and is not among Labour MPs under investigation.
Who signed the Stop the War Labour MPs letter?
During the early period of Keir Starmer’s leadership and into government, a number of left-wing Labour MPs associated with the Stop the War Coalition signed various letters and amendments opposing UK foreign policy positions, particularly on Gaza. Several of these MPs including John McDonnell and others appeared on the list of suspended Labour MPs after backing SNP amendments in July 2024. The Stop the War-aligned MPs have consistently been among those most at risk of suspension, reflecting the ongoing tension between the party’s left wing and Starmer’s centrist leadership.
