Brian Leishman criticises Labour policies after suspension
The party is yet to comment on specific rule breaches, but it comes after 47 Labour MPs rebelled against the UK government's proposed cuts to welfare and forced ministers to gut the reforms of key proposals. All three of the suspended MPs voted against the government's welfare reform bill earlier this month.
In a statement, Leishman insisted he was a proud Labour member."I wish to remain a Labour MP and deliver the positive change many voters are craving," the MP said. "I have voted against the government on issues because I want to effectively represent and be the voice for communities across Alloa and 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."Senior Labour sources have not ruled out more MPs being suspended.
Following a landslide victory north and south of the border at last year's general election, Scottish Labour's new cohort of MPs has remained largely loyal to the government - with Leishman the consistent exception.He has hit out at the prime minister over the closure of the Grangemouth oil refinery in his constituency, arguing more could be done to save more than 400 jobs.And Leishman criticised the government's decision to cut winter fuel payments to millions of pensioners.He was also among the most vocal of a group of Scottish Labour MPs who joined a backbench rebellion against welfare reforms. Although many of the rebels backed down once the government made major concessions, Leishman remained in steadfast opposition to the watered-down bill and voted against it. Just hours before he was suspended, Leishman asked Sir Keir about Fife bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis at Prime Minister's Questions.After the Labour leader said he was working with English mayors to put in orders for zero-emissions buses in a bid to save the firm, Leishman posted on X to confirm that he was working with the UK government "to help save Scottish bus manufacturing".SNP deputy Westminster leader Pete Wishart said: "It says it all that the only Labour MP who has dared stand up for Scotland has been suspended by Keir Starmer - simply because he refused to betray his constituents like every other Scottish Labour MP has done repeatedly."
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Daily Mail
17 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Mysterious condition reappears as Trump visits Scotland amid concerns over his chronic diagnosis
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The Guardian
17 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Monday briefing: How automatic voter registration could redraw Britain's political map
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So where does this under-registration happen? 'It's mostly cities; places like Liverpool, Leeds, Bristol, London. MPs in these inner-city areas are representing larger populations, but that's not reflected in boundary calculations. If legislation goes through and we assume more eligible voters are registered, those people will finally be counted,' he added. Simply put, Tryl explained, this would mean more representation, and more parliamentary seats in urban and student-heavy areas. But with the total number of seats in parliament fixed at 650, that shift would inevitably come at the expense of rural, more affluent constituencies. 'It's hard to argue against the principle of automatic registration, but the boundary changes could make rural constituencies, some of which are already geographically large, even bigger,' Tryl said. Who is set to benefit? The most obvious party set to benefit is Labour, which tends to perform better in urban and student-heavy areas. 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BBC News
17 minutes ago
- BBC News
Keir Starmer to meet Donald Trump for talks at Turnberry resort
Donald Trump will welcome Prime Minister Keir Starmer for talks on Gaza and trade deals at his Turnberry golf resort in South Ayrshire meeting, which follows Trump striking a trade deal with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, will take place on the third full day of the US president's private visit to leaders are expected to discuss progress on implementing the UK-US trade deal, hopes for a ceasefire in the Middle East and applying pressure on Vladimir Putin to end Russia's war with and Starmer will then travel together to Aberdeen for a further private engagement. The US president, who played a second round of golf at Turnberry on Sunday, will open a second 18-hole course on his Menie estate at Belmedie in Aberdeenshire Minister John Swinney is also expected to meet Trump, with Swinney having said it would present an opportunity to "essentially speak out for Scotland" on issues such as trade and the increase of business from the United States in Scotland. The first minister said he would also raise "significant international issues" including "the awfulness of the situation in Gaza".President Trump arrived in Scotland on Friday evening, with Air Force One touching down at Glasgow Prestwick Airport before his entourage travelled to nearby has since spent two days at Turnberry, playing golf with friends and guests in what has been billed as a private visit. A high-level security operation was ramped up over the weekend, but public protests were limited to a handful of individuals at Turnberry while the main anti-Trump demonstrations in Aberdeen and Edinburgh on Saturday passed off largely showed their frustrations towards the president's politics, including his views on climate change and his position on the conflict between Israel and hosted a meeting with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen at Turnberry on Sunday, where they agreed a new transatlantic trade shaking hands on the deal, Trump said: "It's going to bring us closer together... it's a partnership in a sense."Von der Leyen also hailed it as a "huge deal", which came after "tough negotiations".The agreement sets the US tariffs on goods from Europe at 15% across the European Union had been facing a 30% levy on its exports to the US from 1 Trump will travel back to Washington on Tuesday and is due to return to the UK for an official state visit in September.
