MORE than 11,000 people have signed a petition calling on Sir Keir Starmer to restore the party whip to seven MPs who were suspended for voting to scrap the two-child benefit cap.

Leaders of fire, education, Civil Service, food worker and postal unions hit out at the Prime Minister’s “disgraceful” and “completely wrong” decision last month.

Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, ex-shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey, Apsana Begum, Richard Burgon, Ian Byrne, Zarah Sultana and Imran Hussain were kicked out of the Parliamentary Labour Party for six months for backing an SNP amendment calling for the cap to be scrapped.

Today, Fire Brigades Union (FBU) assistant general secretary Ben Selby said: “The FBU is deeply concerned at the decision of the Labour Party leadership to withdraw the whip from those seven MPs for voting to abolish the two-child benefit cap, [a move that] would lift 300,000 children out of poverty.

“We send our solidarity to all seven MPs including the FBU parliamentary group chair Zarah Sultana MP (Coventry South).

“We are glad that you all put child poverty before a macho virility test — child poverty is a political choice and the money is there to lift this cap tomorrow.

“You have all long stood with firefighters and we will always stand with you.”

Former MP Mick Whitley said the suspensions were a betrayal of Labour values.

Matt Wilgress, a spokesman for the Labour Assembly Against Austerity and Arise — a Festival of Left Ideas, who initiated the petition, said: “These seven MPs voted to support a simple measure that would immediately lift 300,000 children out of poverty — and would be a real start to undoing the cost-of-living emergency caused by 14 years of inhumane Tory cuts.”

GFTU general secretary Gawain Little said: “The task of lifting children out of poverty is one that cannot wait.

“All MPs should stand by their principles and support the lifting of the cap.”