Keir Starmer’s show of force sends message to his backbenchers

Keir Starmer faced the first test of his authority as prime minister, having already suspended the whip more readily than any previous Labour leader. Photograph: Jessica Taylor/UK parliament/AFP/Getty Images

A new Labour prime minister with a landslide majority faced the first real test of his authority with a party rebellion from MPs concerned about a tough stance on welfare.

That prime minister was Tony Blair, in December 1997, when 47 Labour MPs voted against the government including a frontbench resignation over a bill to cut benefits for single-parent families. But no one lost the whip.