2 days ago
- Politics
- Powys County Times
Powys MP 'incredibly concerned' by Labour MPs suspension
Montgomeryshire MP Steve Witherden has said he is 'incredibly concerned' after several Labour MPs were suspended from the party.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer removed the whip from four MPs, and Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr MP Steve Witherden has now said he is 'incredibly concerned' over the issue.
On July 16 it was revealed that Neil Duncan-Jordan, Brian Leishman, Chris Hinchliff and Rachael Maskell, were suspended while three other Labour MPs - Rosena Allin Khan, Bell Ribeiro-Addy and Mohammed Yasin - were stripped of their trade envoy roles.
The move comes after all four of the suspended MPs and the former trade envoys voted against the government's welfare reform bill earlier in July, among 47 Labour MPs who rebelled against the government's proposed cuts to welfare.
Mr Witherden was also among the Labour MPs who rallied against the proposed cuts and criticised the grounds for suspending the four Labour MPs, warning they were responding to 'cuts that would have impoverished many people'.
He said: "I am incredibly concerned at the treatment of many of my Labour colleagues – good friends amongst them – who have been suspended from the party or stripped of their roles as trade envoys over the past few days.
"The grounds for punishment seem to be standing up for constituents, voting against cuts that would have impoverished many disabled people, and fighting for marginalised people in the communities they represent.
"When I was elected a year ago, I vowed to put my constituents first and speak out when required. It now seems that doing so can be a punishable offence. These principled MPs have my full support."
The four suspended MPs had also rebelled against the government in votes on other issues and pieces of legislation, including the Planning and Infrastructure Bill and the Public Authorities Bill.
Shortly after the MPs were suspended, Mr Witherden retweeted a post from Brian Leishman, MP for Alloa and Grangemouth, on his suspension from the party.
The post contained statements from Clackmannanshire and Dunblane constituency Labour Party and Falkirk East constituency Labour Party expressing support for Mr Leishman, with Falkirk East saying he 'has the full support and backing of our members'.
In the post Mr Leishman said: 'Thank you to both of my Constituency Labour Party's and the wonderful members in them. Your support and solidarity shows the very best of our movement.'
