89 Labour MPs rebel and six resign over EEA vote

Jeremy Corbyn suffered a large rebellion last night as 89 Labour MPs went against his instructions on a Brexit vote.

The motion that sparked the rebellion would have seen the UK seek full membership of the European Economic Area after Brexit.

Labour MPs had been whipped to abstain on the EEA vote, but 74 defied the party whip to vote for the EEA amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill and 15 rebelled to vote against.

The Lords amendment backing full EEA membership was rejected by 327 votes to 126 – a clear majority of 201.

Laura Smith, who represents the Leave-voting seat of Crewe and Nantwich with a majority of just 48, resigned from her role as a Cabinet Office shadow minister to vote against the EEA.

Five parliamentary private secretaries (PPS) – Ged Killen, Ellie Reeves, Tonia Antoniazzi, Rosie Duffield and Anna McMorrin – stepped down from their junior frontbench roles to vote for the EEA amendment.

Jeremy Corbyn said: “The Labour Party respects the outcome of the EU referendum and does not support the EEA or Norway model as it is not the right option for Britain.”

“It would leave us with next to no say over rules we have to follow, it does not allow us to negotiate a new comprehensive UK-EU customs union and it fails to resolve the Irish border issue.”

LabourList understands that the MPs were instructed by the Labour leader’s office to resign.

Three Remainer Tory MPs – Ken Clarke, Dominic Grieve and Anna Soubry – rebelled to vote in favour of the Lords EEA amendment.

Labour MPs who voted for the EEA:

Rushanara Ali (Labour – Bethnal Green and Bow)
Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour – Gower)
Hilary Benn (Labour – Leeds Central)
Luciana Berger (Labour (Co-op) – Liverpool, Wavertree)
Ben Bradshaw (Labour – Exeter)
Chris Bryant (Labour – Rhondda)
Karen Buck (Labour – Westminster North)
Richard Burden (Labour – Birmingham, Northfield)
Ruth Cadbury (Labour – Brentford and Isleworth)
Ann Coffey (Labour – Stockport)
Neil Coyle (Labour – Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Mary Creagh (Labour – Wakefield)
Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) – Walthamstow)
Geraint Davies (Labour (Co-op) – Swansea West)
Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) – Cardiff South and Penarth)
Rosie Duffield (Labour – Canterbury)
Maria Eagle (Labour – Garston and Halewood)
Julie Elliott (Labour – Sunderland Central)
Dame Louise Ellman (Labour (Co-op) – Liverpool, Riverside)
Paul Farrelly (Labour – Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Mike Gapes (Labour (Co-op) – Ilford South)
Roger Godsiff (Labour – Birmingham, Hall Green)
Kate Green (Labour – Stretford and Urmston)
John Grogan (Labour – Keighley)
Helen Hayes (Labour – Dulwich and West Norwood)
Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) – Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Dame Margaret Hodge (Labour – Barking)
George Howarth (Labour – Knowsley)
Dr Rupa Huq (Labour – Ealing Central and Acton)
Darren Jones (Labour – Bristol North West)
Helen Jones (Labour – Warrington North)
Liz Kendall (Labour – Leicester West)
Ged Killen (Labour (Co-op) – Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Stephen Kinnock (Labour – Aberavon)
Peter Kyle (Labour – Hove)
David Lammy (Labour – Tottenham)
Chris Leslie (Labour (Co-op) – Nottingham East)
Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) – Feltham and Heston)
Kerry McCarthy (Labour – Bristol East)
Siobhain McDonagh (Labour – Mitcham and Morden)
Pat McFadden (Labour – Wolverhampton South East)
Conor McGinn (Labour – St Helens North)
Alison McGovern (Labour – Wirral South)
Catherine McKinnell (Labour – Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Anna McMorrin (Labour – Cardiff North)
Madeleine Moon (Labour – Bridgend)
Ian Murray (Labour – Edinburgh South)
Albert Owen (Labour – Ynys Môn)
Jess Phillips (Labour – Birmingham, Yardley)
Bridget Phillipson (Labour – Houghton and Sunderland South)
Ellie Reeves (Labour – Lewisham West and Penge)
Rachel Reeves (Labour – Leeds West)
Emma Reynolds (Labour – Wolverhampton North East)
Joan Ryan (Labour – Enfield North)
Virendra Sharma (Labour – Ealing, Southall)
Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) – Huddersfield)
Gavin Shuker (Labour (Co-op) – Luton South)
Tulip Siddiq (Labour – Hampstead and Kilburn)
Andy Slaughter (Labour – Hammersmith)
Angela Smith (Labour – Penistone and Stocksbridge)
Owen Smith (Labour – Pontypridd)
Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) – Leeds North West)
Jo Stevens (Labour – Cardiff Central)
Wes Streeting (Labour – Ilford North)
Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) – Harrow West)
Stephen Timms (Labour – East Ham)
Anna Turley (Labour (Co-op) – Redcar)
Chuka Umunna (Labour – Streatham)
Catherine West (Labour – Hornsey and Wood Green)
Matt Western (Labour – Warwick and Leamington)
Martin Whitfield (Labour – East Lothian)
Dr Paul Williams (Labour – Stockton South)
Phil Wilson (Labour – Sedgefield)
Daniel Zeichner (Labour – Cambridge)

A 75th MP, Susan Elan Jones (Labour – Clwyd South), was a teller.

John Woodcock (Independent – Barrow and Furness), currently suspended by the party, also voted in favour of the EEA.

Labour MPs who voted with the government against the EEA:

Sir Kevin Barron (Labour – Rother Valley)
Ronnie Campbell (Labour – Blyth Valley)
Rosie Cooper (Labour – West Lancashire)
Frank Field (Labour – Birkenhead)
Jim Fitzpatrick (Labour – Poplar and Limehouse)
Caroline Flint (Labour – Don Valley)
Mike Hill (Labour – Hartlepool)
Kate Hoey (Labour – Vauxhall)
Kevan Jones (Labour – North Durham)
John Mann (Labour – Bassetlaw)
Dennis Skinner (Labour – Bolsover)
Laura Smith (Labour – Crewe and Nantwich)
Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) – Stoke-on-Trent Central)
John Spellar (Labour – Warley)
Graham Stringer (Labour – Blackley and Broughton)

Kelvin Hopkins (Luton North) who is currently suspended by the party also voted against the EEA.