Jeremy Corbyn: I don’t see why Frank Field had to resign Labour whip
2 min read
Jeremy Corbyn has said he was sorry to see veteran MP Frank Field resign the Labour whip, but did not see why he felt he had to.
The Labour leader’s intervention comes after the Birkenhead MP of nearly 40 years quit after claiming Labour risked becoming a “force for anti-Semitism” in British politics.
He said the party was allowing a "culture of nastiness, bullying, and intimidation" that was "simply disgraceful".
But, speaking as part of a tour of northern England today, Mr Corbyn paid tribute to Mr Field, saying that they had always got on “personally” with the Birkenhead MP.
However, he questioned Mr Field's decision to resign.
“Frank has been a Labour MP for a very long time, even longer than I have," Mr Corbyn told journalists in Liverpool
"I’ve known him for a very long time. I’ve worked with him in the past on social security and other issues. Sometimes we haven’t agreed but we have always got along personally.
"I’m sorry he’s resigned and I thank him for all the work that he’s done as an MP and for the party, but I don’t see why he had to resign."
The Labour leader's intervention is his first since a row began over whether Mr Field could remain a party member after he dramatically resigned the party whip.
Figures in the party last week told PoliticsHome that Mr Field would continue as a Labour member for two weeks, at which point he would be made to choose between re-taking the whip or quitting the party. He has since vowed to take legal action to challenge any explusion from Labour.
His decision has divided senior frontbenchers, with Shadow Justice Secretary Richard Burgon saying Mr Field should, as a result of his decision to resign the whip, “call a by-election straight away”.
But Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell told the Andrew Marr show over the weekend that he hoped MR Field would “come back to the fold”, before cooling talk of a fresh vote in Birkenhead.
He said: "I think with Frank we can have a proper discussion which can overcome some of the problems that he's identified and we don't need to go anywhere near that."
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