Three sacked from Labour’s front bench over support for single market amendment

Three frontbench shadow ministers have been sacked by Jeremy Corbyn after defying a whip to vote for a pro-single market amendment to the Queen’s Speech.

A further two resigned their positions to vote for the amendment, spearheaded by Streatham MP Chuka Umunna. There was a whip to abstain on the amendment.

Ruth Cadbury, Catherine West and Andy Slaughter were all sacked from their positions, and Daniel Zeichner, the shadow transport minister, resigned.

Gareth Thomas and Rupa Huq, who were frontbenchers heading into the election, both also voted for the amendment, but they had already quietly resigned before the vote. Lyn Brown, who briefly filled in for Diane Abbott when the veteran Hackney MP was ill prior to the 8 June general election, has also left the front bench but voted with the whip.

Zeichner, who represents a heavily pro-Remain constituency in Cambridge, tweeted:

I’m a passionate pro-European & straight-forward politician so I’ve taken hard decision to resign as shadow minister to back Single Market.

— Daniel Zeichner (@DanielZeichner) June 29, 2017

In total 49 Labour MPs defied the whip to vote for the amendment, which Umunna described in his speech to the house:

WATCH: @ChukaUmunna presents his amendment to the Queen’s Speech, which would keep UK membership of the SM & protect jobs & our economy: pic.twitter.com/3TBbee8Pvi

— Open Britain (@Open_Britain) June 29, 2017