EXCL Alex Cunningham: Why I quit Labour frontbench over customs union row
3 min read
A Labour MP who quit the party's frontbench over its policy on the European customs union has said he did so in a bid to protect jobs in his constituency.
Alex Cunningham resigned as shadow work and pensions minister after defying Jeremy Corbyn to vote in favour of moves to keep the UK inside the trading arrangement after Brexit.
He was one of 64 Labour MPs to back an amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill tabled by former Shadow Chancellor Chris Leslie despite being ordered to abstain by the party leadership.
Labour bosses argued that the move was flawed, and that membership of some form of customs union should be considered as part of the Brexit negotiations instead.
Stockton North MP Mr Cunningham, who was the only member of Mr Corbyn's shadow ministerial team to break the whip in the vote on 20 December, said he had done so after discussions with businesses in his constituency and elsewhere in the country.
He said: "In recent months, I have spoken with representatives from many companies in my constituency and beyond and received lobbying from many of them through other means. They are as one about the importance of the Government delivering the kind of access and regulatory regime they need to continue their businesses effectively in Europe.
"They also spoke of the threat to investment and the future of many of the jobs they provide in my constituency and across Teesside. I voted as I did as I believed I was leaving the door open for any deal with the EU to possibly include the membership of the customs union – something I felt was in the best interests of industry and jobs in my Stockton North constituency.
"After my constituents voted overwhelmingly to leave the EU, I saw it as my responsibility to support them in that decision and ensure I worked for the best possible outcome for them in terms of jobs and rights. That I will continue to do."
Mr Cunningham has yet to be replaced and Labour party sources denied suggestions that his departure could trigger a full-scale reshuffle.
His resignation is a further sign of the splits within Labour on Brexit.
Last February, 52 Labour MPs - including 14 frontbenchers - defied the leadership to vote against triggering Article 50 to kickstart the Brexit process. In an unconventional move, the shadow ministers who rebelled only received a warning about their future conduct rather than being sacked.
In June, Mr Corbyn sacked three of his frontbench team after 49 Labour MPs rebelled to vote in favour of the UK remaining in the single market after Brexit.
And in November, 19 pro-European MPs ignored an instruction to abstain from the vote on repealing the 1972 European Communities Act.
Labour's official position is to support continued membership of the single market during any post-Brexit transition period.
The party has also insisted that it wants to maintain tariff-free access to the single market, and to agree a customs union with the rest of the EU in the future.
However, pro-EU Labour MPs have insisted that the party should come out in favour of permanent full membership of both trading arrangements.
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