Labour will be pushed to axe two-child benefit cap, says John McDonnell

Former shadow chancellor claims rebellion a genuine point of conscience, not a coordinated attack on government

Labour will be pushed to act on abolishing the “indefensible” two-child benefit limit, the former shadow chancellor John McDonnell has claimed, after Keir Starmer suspended him and six others for the first rebellion of the new government.

It came as multiple MPs expressed shock and dismay at the suspensions, including one suspended MP who claimed she felt her experiences of domestic abuse had been “weaponised” in conversations with the whips. Labour said it did not recognise those allegations.