Jeremy Corbyn has asserted his authority over Labour by sacking frontbenchers who were among the 50 MPs who defied the whip and backed the UK staying in the single market. The MPs - who comprise one fifth of Corbyn’s party in the Commons - were voting for an amendment to the Queen’s speech tabled by the Labour MP Chuka Umunna which mostly supported party policy, but said explicitly the UK should remain in the single market and in the customs union. Corbyn adopted a relatively relaxed approach when pro-European shadow ministers rebelled over article 50 earlier this year but, in a sign of how the election result has strengthened his position in the party, tonight he immediately let it be know that rebel frontbenchers would be sacked. Daniel Zeichner, Andy Slaughter, Catherine West and Ruth Cadbury are giving up their shadow ministerial posts as a result. The amendment was defeated by a majority of 221, suggesting that when the Commons gets to vote on Brexit legislation later this year, there may be less support for “soft Brexit” amendments than some pro-Europeans assume. The SNP, the Lib Dems, and Plaid Cymru all solidly backed Umunna, but not a single Conservative supported him in the division.
Earlier I said the Labour leadership was unlikely to be too worried about the 50 MPs defying the whip, but that was a bit premature. When the Commons voted earlier this year on the bill authorising the government to trigger article 50 (which formally started the Brexit process), Jeremy Corbyn made it clear that shadow cabinet ministers would have to resign if they wanted to defy the whip and vote against, but junior shadow ministers who rebelled were allowed to keep their jobs. Some 47 MPs voted against the bill.
This time, my colleague Anushka Ashana reports, Corbyn will be less tolerant of rebels.
Suggestion Labour frontbenchers could face sack for voting on single member amendment. Punishment more stringent than for A50 apparently
Full list of 101 MPs who voted for staying in the single market
Here is the full list of the 101 MPs who voted for the Chuka Umunna amendment saying the UK should stay in the single market.
Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Mr Adrian Bailey (Labour (Co-op) - West Bromwich West)
Hannah Bardell (Scottish National Party - Livingston)
Luciana Berger (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Mhairi Black (Scottish National Party - Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
Ian Blackford (Scottish National Party - Ross, Skye and Lochaber)
Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Mr Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Ms Karen Buck (Labour - Westminster North)
Sir Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Dr Lisa Cameron (Scottish National Party - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow)
Mr Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat - Orkney and Shetland)
Douglas Chapman (Scottish National Party - Dunfermline and West Fife)
Joanna Cherry (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh South West)
Ann Clwyd (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Ann Coffey (Labour - Stockport)
Ronnie Cowan (Scottish National Party - Inverclyde)
Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Sir Edward Davey (Liberal Democrat - Kingston and Surbiton)
Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Emma Dent Coad (Labour - Kensington)
Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Jonathan Edwards (Plaid Cymru - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Mrs Louise Ellman (Labour (Co-op) - Liverpool, Riverside)
Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Mike Gapes (Labour (Co-op) - Ilford South)
Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - North East Fife)
Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Peter Grant (Scottish National Party - Glenrothes)
Neil Gray (Scottish National Party - Airdrie and Shotts)
Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
John Grogan (Labour - Keighley)
Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)
Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Dame Margaret Hodge (Labour - Barking)
Stewart Hosie (Scottish National Party - Dundee East)
Dr Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
Darren Jones (Labour - Bristol North West)
Susan Elan Jones (Labour - Clwyd South)
Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove)
Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Mr David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee West)
Mr Chris Leslie (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham East)
David Linden (Scottish National Party - Glasgow East)
Stephen Lloyd (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Angus Brendan MacNeil (Scottish National Party - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South)
Stuart C. McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Alison McGovern (Labour - Wirral South)
Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Mrs Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Gavin Newlands (Scottish National Party - Paisley and Renfrewshire North)
Brendan O’Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Albert Owen (Labour - Ynys Môn)
Jess Phillips (Labour - Birmingham, Yardley)
Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Mr Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Mr Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
Mr Gavin Shuker (Labour (Co-op) - Luton South)
Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat - East Dunbartonshire)
Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Chuka Umunna (Labour - Streatham)
Keith Vaz (Labour - Leicester East)
Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Dr Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Pete Wishart (Scottish National Party - Perth and North Perthshire)
John Woodcock (Labour (Co-op) - Barrow and Furness)
Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Ian Jones from the Press Association says 49 Labour MPs voted for Chuka Umunna’s single market amendment. (One of the tellers for the amendment was a Labour MP, Heidi Alexander, but the other was an SNP MP, Marion Fellows), so there is a one-vote discrepancy between these figures and Labour’s - see 5.41pm.)
49 Lab MPs backed Chuka Umunna's amendment to Queen's Speech, defying orders from Corbyn to abstain.
MPs are now voting on the main motion - the “thank you” message to the Queen.
This is what the motion says:
That an humble address be presented to Her Majesty, as follows:
Most Gracious Sovereign,
We, Your Majesty’s most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in parliament assembled, beg leave to offer our humble thanks to Your Majesty for the Gracious Speech which Your Majesty has addressed to both Houses of parliament.
MPs vote down Umunna's single market amendment by majority of 221
MPs have voted down Chuka Umunna’s single market amendment by 322 votes to 101 - a majority of 221.
Officially Labour MPs were under orders to abstain on this vote. SNP and Lib Dem MPs were supporting it, and we will find out soon how many of the 101 MPs in favour were Labour “rebels”.
(I’ve put “rebels” in inverted commas because the Labour leadership is unlikely to be too worried by this vote. Apart from the references to the single market and the customs union, everything else in the Umunna amendment was firmly in line with Labour policy.)
Chuka Umunna’s amendment has been signed by 67 MPs. Mostly they are Labour, but some Lib Dem, Plaid Cymru, and SNP MPs have signed it too, as well as the Green’s Caroline Lucas.
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