Keir Starmer in new battle with Labour left after Andy McDonald resignation
Keir Starmer will face a fresh battle with Labour’s left amid accusations that the resignation of Andy McDonald from the shadow cabinet was an act of “planned sabotage” by critics of the party leader.
The Labour conference will vote on a motion from the Unite union calling for a £15-an-hour minimum wage – the issue which led to McDonald dramatically quitting Starmer’s team, claiming he had been ordered to argue against the hike in pay rates.
“This is something I could not do,”
McDonald said he quit as shadow employment rights secretary after being ordered to argue against a national minimum wage of £15 per hour and against statutory sick pay at the living wage ahead of Tuesday’s vote. McDonald wrote:
This is something I could not do,
In his resignation letter, he told Starmer:
After 18 months of your leadership, our movement is more divided than ever and the pledges that you made to the membership are not being honoured.
It is with deep sadness that I have resigned from Keir Starmer’s Shadow Cabinet, following the leadership’s refusal to back a £15 minimum wage and statutory sick pay at the living wage. pic.twitter.com/dz1KQTj0qR
— Andy McDonald MP for Middlesbrough & Thornaby East (@AndyMcDonaldMP) September 27, 2021
Nothing to see here!
Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said Labour would assess its policy on the minimum wage closer to the next general election. He told Sky News:
We are very committed to a minimum wage of at least £10 an hour.
But it is the responsible thing as we get closer to the election, to look at the rate of inflation, rate of wages, the wider economic situation for the precise figure that we will put before the country at the next general election.
Thomas-Symonds said Starmer’s actions were not an attempt to “defeat” the Jeremy Corbyn-supporting wing of Labour. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today:
It isn’t about defeating different bits of the party, the party has always been a broad church, but what we are doing is showing a very firm sense of direction under our new leadership.
Keir has shown that very strong sense of direction this week, he has got the rule changes through and we will be getting those policies out to the country now as well.
Comments 8
Leave a Reply
The Canary
PO Box 71199
LONDON
SE20 9EX
Canary Media Ltd – registered in England. Company registration number 09788095.
For guest posting, contact [email protected]
For other enquiries, contact: [email protected]
© Canary Media Ltd 2026, all rights reserved | Website by Monster | Hosted by Krystal | Privacy Settings
“the party, the party has always been a broad church” So it may have been, however even the least of ‘socialst’ leaders/MPs had some sense of philantropy about them and a strong sense of Anti-Toryism there has always been trouble and infiltration, all explained by 2015 to present and the risk of a Socialist Government in the UK!
Since Blair gnawed his way into Parliament via the sewers of Westminster, dragging Thatcher/Reagan’s new Flavour of Neoliberalism in behind him, the Party has been split in two parties of Polar Opposite Political Ideologies.
The HOST Party = The UK Labour Party = Democratic Socialism = FOR The PEOPLE!
The PARASITE TORY Party = Neolabour Party TORIES = Thatcherite Neoliberal TORYISM = For Themselves and the ELITES/ESTABLISHMENT!
When Blair called The Party ‘New Labour’, stopped The Red Flag, making his allegiances clear by creating a pact with Murdoch to create The PEOPLE of The SUN, dragging their audience far away from Centre Left thinking and well into Torydom, everything changed!
All with the clever use of Bullshit words like Soft Left, Centrist, Liberal out of the ‘friendly’ sounding Neoliberalism, which is neither Liberal nor Centre Politically it is Tory Right wing with a big dollop of Neoconservativism!
Well what are they doing in Labour? Simple 2 leading Parties ONE ELITE SERVING POLICY, ie Biden, Macron, Obama, Clinton, Blair, etc!
Et Voilà! The PEOPLE have NO CHOICE!
THIS TORY OR THAT TORY!
We Fucked Up 2019, the only repair will take time that is to vote the PARASITE TORY MPs OUT and vote UK Labour Party MPs and Candidates IN!
If this conference did not make every Democratic Socialist absolutely determined to root every single Saboteur, Underminer, Smearer, Liar, etc OUT ASAP by what ever means possible be that as dirty as they played it, so be it! We must get these dangerous people out, if they can make the many into, the few at every occassion, what else are they capable of!?
Didn’t Blair gnaw his way into Parliament on three occasions and with massive support from the people. Who do you think you are?
Yes, Team Blair/Murdoch’s PEOPLE of The SUN & Team Campbell/Mandelson’ PEOPLE of The SUN in Lamb’s Clothing aka The Guardian and aka Zombified MSM Sheeple! Once Centre/Left voters allowed themselves to be turned into mindless TORIES!
IRONICALLY the very same Parasite Infestation that saw The UK Labour Party’s once in a lifetime opportunity to end 43 Years of non stop TORY HELL come to an end, TWICE!
Yes, THOSE TORY SHEEPLE PEOPLE did vote for Thatcher’s Neoliberal Neolabour Party Parasite TORIES!
“Who do you think you are?”
•NOT YOU!
•Someone who has NEVER VOTED for Thatcher’s Neoliberal Neolabour Party Parasite TORIES AND NEVER WILL!
#VoteALLNeolabourPartyToriesOUT!
#VoteALLUKLabourPartyCandidatesIN!
They are the reason Labour won’t win an election. The electorate couldn’t care less about the impotent rantings of the deranged hard left.
So be ut. \more Tory destruction of the country guaranteed by babies throwing their toys out of their prams.
At least your not self rightious or deluded.
Yes, you are quite right.
Keir Starmer is LINO – Labour In Name Only.
And the Tories walk all over him..