Suspended Labour MP 'can't promise not to rebel again' after Keir Starmer removes whip from four backbenchers

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By Henry Moore

One of the four MPs suspended by Sir Keir Starmer for ‘persistent breaches of discipline’ has told LBC he can't promise not to vote against the party again in the future.

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Brian Leishman was suspended alongside Neil Duncan-Jordan, Chris Hinchcliff and Rachael Maskell, who led the backbench rebellion over planned welfare cuts, on Wednesday afternoon.

This move comes as the PM desperately attempts to restore party discipline after dozens of MPs threatened to crash the Government's recent welfare bill.

All four suspended MPs voted against the bill.

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Watch again: Andrew Marr talks to suspended Labour MP Andrew Leishman

Speaking to LBC's Andrew Marr, Alloa & Grangemouth MP Leishman said that while he couldn't promise not to rebel against the Government in the future, he would not be joining Jeremy Corbyn's new left-wing party.

He said: "I can’t give him (Keir Starmer) that promise… we don’t know what’s going on down the line.

"If I can maybe hark back to previous Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson, the party is like a bird.

"It cannot fly in one wing alone. What we've got to have is. We've got to have that broad. That broad spectrum of ideas and views. That's just what makes for good health in a political party."

"I might have my whip removed from me temporarily and suspended, but I'm still a Labour Party member.

"I will still be out canvassing for some of the fantastic candidates that we have already for the Holyrood elections next year. And I will still be attending CLP. I'm a proud Labour Party member."

The suspensions are "the political equivalent of putting a hand on a spike" one MP told LBC's Aggie Chambré.

Another source told the Times, the MPs were suspended for “persistent knobheadery”.

Speaking to LBC's Iain Dale, Ms Maskell said she was suspended because she "chose to speak truth to power about the circumstances of my constituents, disabled constituents, and what the implications would be of cutting their vital lifeline".

She recognised that there needs to be "better debate" within the party, but said: "I want to build bridges. I'm reaching out my hand to the Prime Minister and others to say, let's talk. That's the way we do politics."

She added: "And today's decision, what it won't do is change my values, my principles, my faith, all those things I bring into the arena and also ensuring that I will still continue to bring the voices of my constituents into the heart of politics."

Asked about Number 10 allegedly suspending the MPs over “persistent knobheadery”, Ms Maskell said she doesn't even know what that means, but added: "I think it is really insulting."

"I'm here trying to do a professional job on behalf of people that desperately need a voice. And if that is the contempt by which I and my colleagues are treated, lesser known my constituents, I find that really insulting and I hope that is withdrawn," she said.

Alloa & Grangemouth MP Leishman has been a consistent critic of Starmer since he took power, while Hinchliff, the MP for North East Hertfordshire, led the rebellion against Labour's planning bill.

A statement released by Leishman’s office following the news said: “I am a proud Labour member, and I remain committed to the party. I wish to remain a Labour MP and deliver the positive change many voters are craving.

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“I have voted against the government on issues because I want to effectively represent and be the voice for communities across Alloa & Grangemouth. I firmly believe that it is not my duty as an MP to make people poorer, especially those that have suffered because of austerity and its dire consequences.

“It is the honour of my life to be the MP for Alloa & Grangemouth, and my priority remains representing and fighting for constituents, whether they voted for me or not.”

Poole MP Neil Duncan-Jordan also confirmed he had been suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party but defended his decision to vote against the Government’s welfare reforms.

He said: “Since being elected I have consistently spoken up for my constituents on a range of issues, including most recently on cuts to disability benefits.

“I understood this could come at a cost, but I couldn’t support making disabled people poorer.

“Although I’ve been suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party today, I’ve been part of the Labour and trade union movement for 40 years and remain as committed as ever to its values.

“To my constituents: it’s business as usual. I remain your hardworking local MP, I will continue to take up your concerns and speak up for Poole.”