"The pair had the whip reinstated after a conversation on Friday with Jonathan Reynolds, who became Labour's chief whip in a reshuffle earlier this month. The pair were among seven MPs to lose the whip in July last year for supporting an amendment to the king's speech, tabled by the SNP, calling for an end to the cap, which has been blamed for a rise in child poverty."
"Four of the other MPs suspended at the time, Rebecca Long-Bailey, Ian Byrne, Imran Hussain and Richard Burgon, had the whip restored in February. The last of the seven, Zarah Sultana, has cut ties with the party and is attempting to launch a new leftwing party alongside Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader who was re-elected at the 2024 election on an independent ticket."
"Both had been hopeful of having the whip back earlier. Begum was first elected in 2019, while McDonnell has held his west London seat of Hayes and Harlington since 1997. He was shadow chancellor throughout Corbyn's time as leader. There are still a series of other former Labour MPs who are without the whip. In July, after a widespread rebellion over changes to welfare, Rachael Maskell, Neil Duncan-Jordan, Brian Leishman and Chris Hinchliff were told they had lost the party whip for repeatedly rebelling."
Labour restored the whip to John McDonnell and Apsana Begum 14 months after they lost it for supporting an amendment to end the two-child benefit cap. The reinstatement followed a conversation with Jonathan Reynolds, who recently became the party's chief whip. The two were among seven MPs suspended in July for backing the SNP-tabled amendment, which links the cap to rising child poverty. Four suspended MPs had the whip restored in February, while Zarah Sultana left the party to pursue a new leftwing project with Jeremy Corbyn. Several other MPs remain without the whip after rebelling over welfare and other government policies.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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