Too right say some Labour MPs, this is still a new-ish government and those elected on a Labour ticket ought to be more loyal.

Others witness the spectacle with a wry smile.

“They’re public executions!” one said. “It is quite something seeing them removed one by one from the various WhatsApp groups.”

One suspended rebel said the 20-minute conversation with the chief whip was “frank but cordial”.

One of the sacked trade envoys told me “I understand why they did it” but described it as “petty and a bit pointless”.

They had each received a call from the prime minister’s political director Claire Reynolds, who, as it happens, is married to the Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds.

They were told voting against the government on welfare was incompatible with continuing as a government trade envoy.

It is not lost on those who have been sacked as envoys that they are all minority ethnic and the government has Liberal Democrats as trade envoys too – who are not expected to vote with the government, but nonetheless they are expected to.

“It is greatest sacking of a role with no salary I have ever known,” one told me.

“Morale is already down in the dumps among the base, among members and councillors. How is this going to help?” another Labour figure said.

“I can’t imagine Harold Wilson or Tony Blair doing this. It shows weakness and pettiness,” said a frustrated Labour MP still in possession of the whip.

The prime minister has been stepping up the amount of time he spends with his MPs, having been bruised by accusations that he is too detached from them.

He spent a couple of hours in parliament after Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday afternoon, and had lunch with a group of his colleagues.

His MPs had expected this more softly softly approach, and greater outreach, to be the noticeable difference after the bumpy last few weeks.

It turns out it is part of the approach, but only part.

Sir Keir Starmer has to hope this splash of discipline helps soothe and calm his party, rather than relitigating these recent rows.

Let’s see how that turns out.