“Fundamental mistake” to ban Labour MPs from picket lines, Tarry says

Sam Tarry has said it is a “fundamental mistake” to ban Labour MPs from picket lines and added that he is “absolutely certain” that other shadow ministers will be joining members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) on strike today.

The MP for Ilford South was removed from his shadow minister role after he joined members of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) on a rail strike picket line on Wednesday.

Interviewed by Sky News from a CWU picket line, Tarry said he had not been expecting to be sacked. He told viewers: “I didn’t have an intention of giving TV interviews. I went there and was asked my opinion. And at the end of the day, I thought it was about time that we were really clear about whose side we’re on.”

Labour leader Keir Starmer declared on Thursday that Tarry was sacked because he “booked himself on to media programmes without permission” and “made up policy on the hoof”.

On Sky News this morning, Tarry stressed that he was “on the side of ordinary British workers” and “on the side of people going on strike”, adding: “I think it’s really clear, whether it be rail workers, whether it be communications workers, that the Labour Party is on their side.”

The Labour MP continued: “I didn’t make up policy. All I said is that surely it should be right that we offer workers in this country to match inflation at least.

“Because otherwise all they’re getting offered is a real-terms pay cut, and that’s simply not good enough after tens years of austerity and on top of that, spiralling inflation over the past few years.”

Asked whether more Labour MPs could be sacked for the same reason, Tarry said: “I hope that they’re not, but I am absolutely certain that other shadow ministers – and I’m now a former shadow minister – will be on picket lines with the Communication Workers Union. I guess we’ll see how the day pans out.”

He added: “It’s a fundamental mistake to ban Labour MPs from being on picket lines. It shouldn’t happen, never happen. It’s caused a complete car crash of a week, and we should have been talking about what we’re going to do to raise wages for the British people.”

Commenting on Wednesday about the decision to sack Tarry, a Labour spokesperson said: “This isn’t about appearing on a picket line. Members of the frontbench sign up to collective responsibility. That includes media appearances being approved and speaking to agreed frontbench positions.

“As a government-in-waiting, any breach of collective responsibility is taken extremely seriously and for these reasons Sam Tarry has been removed from the frontbench.”

In an interview with Sky News on Thursday, John McDonnell described the decision to sack Tarry as a “severe mistake” by Starmer’s advisers and urged Labour to “come off the fence and be on the side of a just cause – the workers”.

The former Shadow Chancellor added: “We’re told he’s been sacked not because he went on the picket lines, but because he made statements on the picket lines. But what was he supposed to do? Go on there and wear a gag? It’s a silly, silly situation to get in to.”

Speaking to BBC News on Thursday, Diane Abbott declared: “Everybody knows Sam Tarry wasn’t sacked for what he said in interviews. He was sacked because he went on a picket line. And that’s extraordinary.”

The Labour backbencher added that it was “quite wrong” and “completely unprecedented” to sack shadow ministers for joining striking workers, stressing: “It’s always been the case that shadow ministers can go on picket lines.”

Thousands of CWU members working for BT and Openreach are expected to take part in industrial action today and Monday in a dispute over pay – the first national telecoms strike in 35 years.

Commenting on Tarry’s sacking and Labour’s stance on the strikes, CWU general secretary Dave Ward said: “The actions of the Labour leadership is disgraceful. We will have to deal with that.

“I think what will happen is that people will see through Labour unless they change their position because it seems to me that Labour want to win an election without any principles or any policies, and people won’t accept that.”

He added: “Clearly, Labour are in a position now that I think they’ve set out their path. It’s not the same path that we’re going down.”