A class of II$_1$ factors with a unique McDuff decomposition

We provide a fairly large class of II$_1$ factors $N$ such that $M=N\bar{\otimes}R$ has a unique McDuff decomposition, up to isomorphism, where $R$ denotes the hyperfinite II$_1$ factor. This class includes all II$_1$ factors $N=L^{\infty}(X)\rtimes\Gamma$ associated to free ergodic probability measure preserving (p.m.p.) actions $\Gamma\curvearrowright (X,\mu)$ such that either (a) $\Gamma$ is a free group, $\mathbb F_n$, for some $n\geq 2$, or (b) $\Gamma$ is a non-inner amenable group and the orbit equivalence relation of the action $\Gamma\curvearrowright (X,\mu)$ satisfies a property introduced in \cite{JS85}. On the other hand, settling a problem posed by Jones and Schmidt in 1985, we give the first examples of countable ergodic p.m.p. equivalence relations which do not satisfy the property of \cite{JS85}. We also prove that if $\mathcal R$ is a countable strongly ergodic p.m.p. equivalence relation and $\mathcal T$ is a hyperfinite ergodic p.m.p. equivalence relation, then $\mathcal R\times\mathcal T$ has a unique stable decomposition, up to isomorphism. Finally, we provide new characterisations of property Gamma for II$_1$ factors and of strong ergodicity for countable p.m.p. equivalence relations.