On July 16, 2025, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer suspended three Labour MPs—Neil Duncan-Jordan, Brian Leishman, and Chris Hinchliff—for breaching party discipline. The trio, all first elected as Labour MPs in 2024, had the party whip withdrawn, forcing them to sit as independents in the House of Commons. Senior Labour sources indicated that additional suspensions, potentially including MPs from earlier parliamentary terms, could follow later today.

The suspensions stem from a significant rebellion by 47 Labour MPs, including Duncan-Jordan, Leishman, and Hinchliff, who voted against the government’s controversial welfare reform bill earlier this month. The revolt compelled ministers to scale back proposed welfare cuts, marking a blow to Starmer’s authority, already strained by recent policy U-turns, such as the reinstatement of the winter fuel allowance for millions of pensioners.

The BBC has reached out to the suspended MPs for comment, and further details are expected as this story develops.