Bristol Labour MPs on 'deselection list' as seven backbenchers quit the party

Two Bristol MPs are rumoured to be on a list of Labour politicians who could be facing deselection – a list featuring the seven MPs who opted to quit the party today.

The Labour Party was rocked on Monday after seven MPs announced they had resigned from the party over leader Jeremy Corbyn’s handling of Brexit and complaints of growing anti-Semitism in its ranks.

MPs Chuka Umunna, Luciana Berger, Gavin Shuker, Mike Gapes, Chris Leslie, Anne Coffey and Angela Smith have decided to resign the Labour Party whip and stand as independent MPs, dubbing themselves “The Independent Group”. It means they will not have to follow party orders on how to vote in Parliament or face being disciplined if they speak out against the leadership.

While no Bristol MPs are among them, two city representatives are reportedly feared to be facing being ousted by local Labour members.

Bristol West MP Thangam Debbonaire and Bristol North West MP Darren Jones have both been named by the Daily Mail as being among 100 Labour MPs fearing a deselection challenge.

Thangam Debbonaire, Labour MP for Bristol West (Image: Parliament TV)

The move to mass deselect MPs is thought to have accelerated the decision of the seven MPs to quit the party over the weekend.

Members agreed at the party conference in September to lower the threshold for a re-selection contest, requiring 33 per cent of support from members and affiliated trade unions, rather than the previous 50 per cent to trigger a challenge.

Ms Debbonaire has faced trouble from left-wing activists in her constituency Labour Party (CLP), with some members heckling her at a meeting last year after she attended the “Enough Is Enough” demonstration in Westminster last March to protest against growing anti-Semitism in the party.

The opposition whip soared home with a 37,000 majority at the 2017 general election, making Bristol West one of the safest Labour seats in the country.

Mr Jones has regularly rebelled against the whip on Brexit, having come out in support of blocking Britain’s exit from the European Union and pushing for a second referendum.

Darren Jones, Labour MP for Bristol North West

He secured a 4,760 majority at the last election, ousting the pro-Brexit Conservative MP Charlotte Leslie.

Neither MP has yet commented on featuring on the list of MPs allegedly fearing deselection.

Mr Jones said: "I’m so sad to see colleagues and friends leave the Labour Party. It’s vital the party now listens, understands their rightful complaints and responds appropriately. We must for the future of our party."

Kerry McCarthy, the longest serving city MP, said she did not agree with the seven MPs who have split but she urged her party to address the problems that have caused the schism.

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The Bristol East MP: “I am very sorry to see these seven colleagues leave the Labour Party. It saddens me to hear the reasons they have given, particularly Luciana, who has suffered horrific anti-Semitic abuse.

“I do not agree with their move, but I think Labour as a party needs to reflect seriously on why they felt compelled to act in this way.”

Bristol MP Kerry McCarthy said Labour had enjoyed its best success when operating as a 'broad church'

Ms McCarthy, who enjoyed five years of being in government under the leadership of both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown after her election in 2005, said Labour had seen its best days when it had been a “broad church”.

She said: “The immediate task facing us in Parliament is, of course, Brexit – and given that these seven weren’t always obeying the party whip, and were very forthright in expressing their votes, I don’t think it will make much difference to the parliamentary arithmetic, unless some Tories, who are currently less likely to rebel, join them.

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“I can’t see many, if any, of my colleagues joining them, but clearly the unhappiness amongst Labour MPs goes much further than just these seven, and the leadership should not ignore this.

“I think it’s now up to the leadership to respond by reaching out to MPs and party members with a message of unity – which means listening to those loyal Labour supporters who are currently not happy with the way things are. Labour has been at its most successful when it has been a broad church, and we should remember this.”