As the third week of Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour government comes to an end, there’s certainly been a lot of change in town. From the party’s tone shift on private jets to the Culture Secretary’s volte face on the culture wars, the Labour party has proven it still has a penchant for U-turns. And in Westminster more specifically, with a parliamentary party of over 400 members, Starmer’s army is rather concerned with a change in MP discipline too. Steerpike has spent the last few weeks speaking to political newbies about how they’re getting on – and there have been more than a few grumblings…
Whipped into shape
Seven MPs have already had the Labour whip removed this week after supporting an SNP amendment to the King’s Speech over the two-child benefit cap. Newly-suspended Zarah Sultana took to the airwaves to publicly lambast the Labour lot for making her a victim of, um, a ‘macho virility test’ while former shadow chancellor John McDonnell turned to the Grauniad to vent in a lengthy op-ed.
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