Labour MP pledges to continue to challenge party leadership after whip restored

Labour MP Brian Leishman has pledged to continue challenging the party’s leadership after having the whip restored.

Mr Leishman, who represents the Alloa and Grangemouth constituency, had the whip restored on November 7.

Along with three other rebel Labour MPs, he had been sitting in the House of Commons as an independent after rebelling against the Government’s plans to reform benefits in July.

The four MPs, including Neil Duncan-Jordan, Chris Hinchliff and Rachael Maskell, are all understood to have had the whip returned after discussions with chief whip Jonathan Reynolds earlier this month.

In February, Mr Leishman joined members of the Unite union taking part in a demonstration to protest at Petroineos’ plans to close Grangemouth oil refinery which ceased producing crude oil in May, and branded Scotland a “victim of industrial vandalism and devastation” when it closed.

More than 400 jobs were lost at the oil refinery as Petroineos transitioned it a fuel import terminal.

In a column in the Sunday Mail, Mr Leishman vowed to continue fighting for “fairness, equality and social justice”, and said he wanted “some form of state ownership” at Grangemouth.

He wrote: “If I need to remind leadership of that mission, then I will do everything I can to move them to where I believe they should be.

“I will not dilute my principles or soften my stance because demanding change is not just my job, it is my duty.”

In July, the office of Mr Leishman confirmed he had had the whip “temporarily suspended” and in a statement he said: “I firmly believe that it is not my duty as an MP to make people poorer.”

Writing in the Sunday Mail, Mr Leishman said: “Let me answer plainly why I was suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party.

“I stood with the workers of the Grangemouth refinery when their livelihoods were under threat, pushing the Government to invest in its future with at least some form of public ownership. While operations have ultimately been wound up with devastating consequences for my communities, I am here to fight for the site’s and town’s future.

“I have been in talks with ministers who are evaluating proposals for future industry in Grangemouth with £200 million pledged from the National Wealth Fund to entice private investment.

“I will continue to press for this process to be accelerated and for some form of state ownership because we cannot allow shareholders, executive boards and foreign governments to dictate our future. The status quo would mean no lessons being learned.

“I also protested against welfare cuts that punish the poorest amongst us, not least because I heard from many concerned constituents directly.

“I have always spoken up for Waspi women who have been denied justice and the compensation they rightly deserve. And I refused to stay silent while Netanyahu’s government carried out a genocidal campaign against the Palestinian people.”

He added: “These were not acts of disloyalty to Labour values. They were acts of loyalty to them. Real Labour values mean standing up against injustice, even when it is inconvenient, even when it costs you personally.

“That is what I did and that is what I will continue to do. Nothing has changed in my principles.”

Scottish Labour has been contacted for comment.