MP Rosie Duffield resigns Labour whip over ‘hypocrisy and cruel policies’

In a resignation letter, Ms Duffield attacked Sir Keir Starmer’s choice to maintain the two-child profit cap and means-test winter gasoline funds and condemned his dealing with of the outcry over presents given to him and different senior Labour figures.

She wrote: “Somebody with far-above-average wealth selecting to maintain the Conservatives’ two-child restrict to learn funds which entrenches youngsters in poverty, whereas inexplicably accepting costly private presents of designer fits and glasses costing greater than most of these folks can grasp – that is totally undeserving of holding the title of Labour Prime Minister.”

Relations between Ms Duffield and the Labour management have lengthy been strained, significantly on the problem of transgender rights.

The MP went on to criticise Sir Keir’s administration of his celebration, saying he had “by no means often engaged” with backbench MPs and lacked “primary politics and political instincts”.

She added: “The sleaze, nepotism and obvious avarice are off the size. I’m so ashamed of what you and your interior circle have completed to tarnish and humiliate our as soon as proud celebration.”

Her letter stated she supposed to take a seat as an Impartial MP “guided by my core Labour values”.

One Labour backbencher stated they had been glad to see the again of Ms Duffield, describing her as “toxic” and including: “Sure, they’ve a long-standing bunker mentality within the chief’s workplace and want higher PLP (Parliamentary Labour Occasion) engagement, however they’re no less than doing one thing proper in the event that they by no means discuss to her.”

First elected in 2017, Ms Duffield’s choice to give up the celebration follows the suspension of seven different Labour MPs who rebelled on the King’s Speech by voting for a movement calling for the two-child profit cap to be abolished – and brings the entire variety of Impartial MPs to 14.

Ms Duffield didn’t vote on both the proposed modification to the King’s Speech or a current Conservative movement calling for the restriction of the winter gasoline fee to be halted.

In her resignation letter, she additionally criticised the Prime Minister for selling folks with “no confirmed political abilities and no earlier parliamentary expertise” and stated he had been “elevated instantly to a shadow cupboard place with out following the same old path of honing your political abilities on the backbenches”.

Sir Keir was made a shadow dwelling workplace minister in 2015, two months after he was first elected as an MP, and in flip appointed numerous MPs elected in 2024 to junior ministerial positions.

A kind of, International Workplace minister Hamish Falconer, is the son of Sir Keir’s first shadow lawyer common Lord Falconer, whereas Liam Conlon, son of Quantity 10 chief of workers Sue Grey, was made a parliamentary assist to Division for Transport.

Conservative management candidates took purpose on the Prime Minister over Ms Duffield’s resignation, with former safety minister Tom Tugendhat saying the transfer confirmed Sir Keir’s Authorities was “about self-service”, whereas frontrunner Robert Jenrick stated the Authorities was “already in disarray, crumbling below the burden of their rank hypocrisy”.