Anas Sarwar urges Brian Leishman to show ‘team spirit'
He, along with Rachael Maskell, Neil Duncan-Jordan and Chris Hinchliff, was suspended on Thursday.
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At a joint press conference with the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, the Prime Minister was asked whether punishing the MPs made him look weak.
'We are elected in to change this country for the better, and that means we've got to carry through that change, and we've got to carry through reforms,' he replied.
'I'm determined that we will change this country for the better, for millions of working people, and I'm not going to be deflected from that.
'And therefore we had to deal with people who repeatedly break the whip, because everyone was elected as a Labour MP on the manifesto of change and everybody needs to deliver as a Labour government. This is about what we're doing for the country.'
Despite the suspension, Mr Leishman said he remained committed to Labour and would continue campaigning for the party ahead of the 2026 Holyrood election.
'That includes Anas Sarwar,' he told the Sunday Mail. 'I'm still going out campaigning and that includes him. I think he should be the next First Minister of Scotland.'
He added: 'I still think that the Labour Party is the best and most likely vehicle for social change in the country and I want to be part of it. I want to get back in, but I don't regret what I've done in the first 12 months. I stand by it and I still think I'm right.'
He said he had not heard from colleagues since his suspension, other than being told he was being removed from two Scottish Labour WhatsApp groups.
Anas Sarwar said he want people committed to Labour (Image: Andrew Milligan/PA) Asked if he welcomed Mr Leishman's support, Mr Sarwar told the Sunday Mail: 'I want all of our MPs and all those that were elected as Labour MPs to work hard for their constituents, to argue the Labour case and to improve people's lives in Scotland. said.
'Brian Leishman himself has said he wants to remain a Labour MP, he remains committed to the Labour Party.
'I want people that are committed to the Labour Party. I want people that are committed to improving people's lives — but we all have to do it in a team spirit.'
On Sunday, UK Environment Secretary Steve Reed defended the decision, saying there had been a 'pattern of behaviour' that undermined the party's unity.
'I think it is fair that if you're part of a team, you should be required to play the team game,' he told Sky News.
'You can make your views known, but if you go too far outside, you're actually undermining the whole team. We can't allow that.'
He added: 'If people think they're more important than the team, they need to think again.'
As well as the four left-wingers, the party also suspended Diane Abbott last week pending a new investigation into comments about racism.
In an interview with the BBC, she said she did not regret remarks made more than two years ago when she said people of colour experienced racism 'all their lives', which was different from the 'prejudice' experienced by Jewish people, Irish people and Travellers.
Ms Abbott, the first black woman elected to Parliament, had said: 'Clearly, there must be a difference between racism which is about colour and other types of racism because you can see a Traveller or a Jewish person walking down the street, you don't know.
'I just think that it's silly to try and claim that racism which is about skin colour is the same as other types of racism. I don't know why people would say that.'
The clip of the interview was re-posted by Mr Leishman, who said: 'Diane Abbott has fought against racism her entire life.'
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