The full extent of the rebellion against Sir Keir Starmer became apparent today, as MPs who abstained from last night's vote labelled him 'weak and guilty'. Ministers attempted to downplay the revolt by suggesting that Labour MPs who supported a motion for the Prime Minister to face a sleaze inquiry over Lord Mandelson were merely the 'usual suspects'. However, the Prime Minister was visibly shaken after 14 of his own MPs sided with the Conservatives, while dozens more abstained on a vote concerning an investigation into whether he misled Parliament.
Rebel MPs Speak Out
Labour whips are reportedly hesitating over whether to discipline the rebels, amid concerns that Starmer's position is too fragile to expel them from the party. One of the abstainers, MP Graham Stringer, stated he could not support the Government line but also could not back the Tories. He was joined by three other MPs who indicated they would have voted in favour of the motion had they been present in Parliament.
Mr Stringer told the Daily Mail: 'The Government response was pathetic – the real issue is there is a disagreement between the PM and other people about whether or not he's misled Parliament.' He added: 'There is a Privileges Committee set up precisely to look at that... The PM was not prepared to put himself before the committee. Weak and guilty. I couldn't support the Government line – but I also couldn't walk through [the voting lobbies] with the Tories.'
Further Dissent
Jonathan Brash, another Labour MP who last week called for the PM to stand down, said he would have voted for the motion had he been in Parliament. He wrote on Facebook: 'To whip colleagues on a matter of this nature is, in my view, a serious misjudgement and deeply unfair on them. Regardless of the motives of opposition parties, the sensible course would have been for the Prime Minister to refer himself to the Privileges Committee.' He added that he stood with colleagues who voted against and would have voted for the motion himself.
Bell Ribeiro-Addy, an MP from the left of the party, stated on Twitter: 'I am not in Parliament for today's vote on referring Keir Starmer. If I was, I would be voting for the motion. Transparency is a cornerstone of our democracy. The best thing for the PM to do would be to simply refer himself on this matter and save us all the drama.'
Navendu Mishra, another Labour MP, wrote on Facebook that he believed the PM should face the Privileges Committee but could not vote with opposition parties. 'After careful consideration, I have made the difficult decision to abstain in this vote,' he said. 'The Prime Minister maintains that he did not mislead Parliament; as such, a more appropriate response would have been for the Prime Minister to refer himself to the Privileges Committee.'
Whip Pressure and Abstentions
MPs were under a three-line whip, meaning they risked expulsion from the party and having to sit as independents if they rebelled without a valid excuse. They were ordered by whips to vote against the motion for a sleaze probe into whether the PM lied to Parliament over Lord Mandelson. Of the 53 abstentions, four were ministers away on business or due to family matters, and four were members of the privileges committee who were instructed not to participate.
One MP, Cat Smith, voted both for and against the motion, while another, Cat Eccles, said she would have voted against it had she been in Parliament. Others claimed they were 'slipped' – granted permission by the whips to be absent – for family reasons or constituency events. Ian Lavery, an MP on the left of the party, said he was attending a funeral but also tweeted praise for Emma Lewell, who voted for the motion. Many other abstainers did not respond to requests for comment.
Government Response
Earlier yesterday, Housing Secretary Steve Reed dismissed the rebels as the 'usual suspects' and downplayed the prospect of them losing the whip. Asked if they should be expelled, he told Times Radio: 'There was a handful of usual suspects who did what they tend to do. I'm not in charge of discipline, I'm not too bothered about them to be honest.' A spokesperson for the whips' office declined to comment on what action would be taken against the MPs who voted against or abstained.
MPs who voted against the motion included Apsana Begum, Richard Burgon, Ian Byrne, Mary Kelly Foy, Imran Hussain, Brian Leishman, Emma Lewell, Rebecca Long Bailey, Andy McDonald, John McDonnell, Grahame Morris, Luke Myer, Kate Osborne, and Nadia Whittome.
