Ahead of the general election, figures close to Keir Starmer had briefed journalists on the importance of Labour’s first hundred days in government. There was a small window, they argued, to demonstrate the new government’s priorities to the country. This week, Keir Starmer did just that.

After seven Labour MPs voted for an amendment to the King’s Speech calling for the abolition of the two-child benefit limit, the Labour leader suspended them for six months. Given Labour’s recent history of arbitrary suspensions of the party whip, it remains to be seen whether the rebels — Zarah Sultana, Richard Burgon, Ian Byrne, Rebecca Long-Bailey, Imran Hussain, Apsana Begum, and John McDonnell — will be permitted to rejoin the parliamentary party once their suspension ends.

The rebel MP’s case for abolishing the two-child limit is a powerful one. Introduced in 2017 by the Conservative government, the policy limits families from claiming benefits for a maximum of two children. A record 1.6 million children are living in families affected by the policy, and it is widely recognized as the single largest driver of child poverty in Britain. Abolishing it would immediately lift 330,000 children from poverty. And at an eventual cost of just £3.4 billion a year, there is no quicker or more cost-effective way to combat child poverty available to the government.