Jeremy Corbyn will look to work with rebel Labour MPs suspended for voting to scrap the two-child benefits cap as he builds an anti-Starmer alliance of independents in Parliament.
The ex-Labour leader, who won re-election to the Commons after being thrown out of his old party, has written to the seven left-wingers who lost the whip this week over their vote on the King’s Speech.
Sir Keir Starmer authorised the unusual move after the MPs – including former leadership challengers John McDonnell and Rebecca Long-Bailey – backed a motion from the Scottish National Party to remove the current two-child limit on universal credit and tax credit payments to lower-income families.
No 10 has indicated that it will not be as draconian with all future Commons votes, insisting that voting against the Government’s position on the King’s Speech is “serious”.
The seven suspended MPs are expected to be readmitted to Labour after six months – but Mr Corbyn has written to them inviting them to join him in an informal alliance of independents.
In a letter written jointly with four other independent MPs who defeated Labour at this month’s general election, he said: “As the two major parties fail to defend the bold changes this country desperately needs, we will be there to offer a real alternative – and to defend a society that cares for each other and cares for all.”
Mr Corbyn is understood to have held multiple meetings with the other four independents who beat Labour candidates, about how they can work together on issues such as child poverty and the war in Gaza.
He is keen to work closely with the suspended MPs as well, including by putting pressure on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to use the Budget to scrap the two-child limit.
A source close to Mr Corbyn said: “The next major thing is the Budget. Starmer’s move has opened up new possibilities.”
The former Labour leader told LBC: “I’m very happy that the seven of them voted against the continuation of the two-child benefit cap. And obviously I will be working with them, as I have been working with them for many years anyway.”
He added: “Even one MP can be an awful nuisance in Parliament, multiply that by 12 and you’ve got 12 awful nuisances in Parliament who will continually be reminding the Government of its responsibilities to all citizens in our society.”
Zarah Sultana, the MP for Coventry South who is one of those suspended by Labour, told The News Agents podcast she was not planning to quit the party permanently but said: “I will continue to maintain my principles and speaking up about the issues that I care about and that my constituents are deeply affected by.”
A political spokesperson for the Prime Minister said it would be wrong to “make promises that we can’t keep” on benefits, adding: “Clearly voting against the party’s position on the King’s Speech is a serious matter.”
The Prime Minister has promised to set up a taskforce on child poverty to consider ways to protect vulnerable young people.
One backbencher told i that the rebels were “obviously from a certain wing of the party”, and added: “They had been warned beforehand not to rebel, particularly on something as important as the King’s Speech. There are clearly more appropriate times to try to raise the issue, like on a finance bill or at the Budget.”