SIR KEIR STARMER suspended four left Labour MPs from the party whip last night in a desperate attempt to restore his floundering and diminished authority.

Brian Leishman, Neil Duncan-Jordan, Rachael Maskell and Chris Hinchcliffe will now sit as independent MPs.

Left MP Zarah Sultana, commenting to the Star, told the MPs to “come and join us” in the new socialist party she has committed to launching with Jeremy Corbyn after resigning from Labour two weeks ago.

The MPs have been sanctioned by the Starmer regime because of alleged “persistent rebelliousness”. All voted against the government’s disability benefit cuts, along with a large number of other backbenchers.

More suspensions may follow as Sir Keir seeks to recover from a series of enforced U-turns as his “make the poor pay for war” political strategy unravels.

Mr Leishman is MP for Alloa and Grangemouth and an outspoken advocate of government action to save jobs at the Grangemouth refinery and Alexander Dennis bus factory, both in his constituency. 

He said: “I am a proud Labour member, and I remain committed to the party. I wish to remain a Labour MP and deliver the positive change many voters are craving.

“I have voted against the government on issues because I want to effectively represent and be the voice for communities across Alloa and Grangemouth. 

“I firmly believe that it is not my duty as an MP to make people poorer, especially those that have suffered because of austerity and its dire consequences.”

Mr Duncan-Jordan was one of the main organisers of the rebellion over welfare cuts, which was able to force a significant government climbdown. He represents Poole.

He responded to the suspension: “Since being elected I have consistently spoken up for my constituents on a range of issues, including most recently on cuts to disability benefits. 

“I understood this could come at a cost, but I couldn’t support making disabled people poorer.

“Although I’ve been suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party today, I’ve been part of the Labour and trade union movement for 40 years and remain as committed as ever to its values.”

Ms Maskell, who sits for York Central, was one of the most prominent voices of opposition to the disability benefit cuts, winning admiration for her speeches which drew on her deep religious convictions.

She said she lost the whip for “standing up for my constituents over welfare.

“I believe we’re better than that as a party. I believe our strength comes from the backbenches. I think it comes from people who are plugged into their constituents.”

Former aide to Tony Blair John McTernan asked “what did Rachael Maskell do apart from win an argument with the government? So she is being suspended for being right about policy.”

Chris Hinchcliff, who was elected for North-East Hertfordshire, led a rebellion on the planning Bill, championing the building of more affordable and council housing.

Three further Labour MPs Rosena Allin Khan, Bell Ribeiro-Addy and Mohammed Yasin have also been sacked as unpaid government trade envoys for “repeated breaches of party discipline.”

The latest authoritarian crackdown is a gamble by an already-weakened prime minister. 

Commenting on reports that the Labour leadership has withdrawn the whip from a number of the party’s MPs, Fire Brigades Union general secretary Steve Wright said: “It’s an outrageous and authoritarian act.

“The Labour leadership has clearly learned nothing from the huge outpouring of anger that the cuts to welfare have provoked.

“Instead of abandoning the benefit cuts that will force hundreds of thousands of families into poverty, Keir Starmer has chosen to purge Labour MPs who sought to halt this disastrous policy.

“The FBU will use its influence as a Labour affiliated union to seek to force the party hierarchy to reinstate those who have been suspended.”

Labour campaign organisation Momentum commented: “Suspending the whip from MPs who stood up for disabled people against cuts is a desperate act from a failing government that does not have the solutions to Britain’s problems.

“This intolerant crackdown on principled dissent, rather than changing course, is a pathetic response to dire poll ratings and threatens to tear apart not the Labour left but rather the Labour Party itself.”

And one left MP commented: “This is desperate stuff. It shows how thin-skinned Keir Starmer is. He actually changed position on welfare as a result of what these MPs did.”

It comes as the new left party polls level with Labour despite not having been formally launched yet. 

Ms Sultana accused Starmer and his chief strategist Morgan McSweeney of being “insecure men. No vision. No compassion,” bent on removing those who challenged their austerity agenda.

It appears Sir Keir has nevertheless decided to double-down on his zero-toleration of the left approach, which is the default attitude of Mr McSweeney regardless of political cost.

The newly suspended MPs join Apsana Begum and John McDonnell, who lost the whip over the earlier rebellion against the two-child benefit cap and now sit as independents.

Richard Burgon MP said: “My full support to my Labour colleagues who have been suspended over opposition to disability cuts.

“Alongside nearly 50 of us, they were simply standing up for their disabled constituents and following their consciences.

“Challenging policies that harm our communities, that damage Labour’s support and that make a Reform government much more likely is a key role of Labour backbenchers. The Prime Minister should be listening to these voices, not punishing them.

“After the suspension of myself and others last year for opposing the two-child benefit cap, I had hoped the leadership would take a different approach to backbenchers. Sadly, it isn’t yet doing so. To help stop a Reform Government, it really must do so.”