Pro-Israel Labour MP hits out at 'Trots, Stalinists and Communists' after losing no confidence vote
3 min read
A pro-Israel Labour MP faces the threat of deselection after losing a vote of no confidence by her local party members.
Joan Ryan was accused of "smearing" Jeremy Corbyn by hard-left members of the Enfield North Constituency Labour Party.
At a meeting of the CLP on Thursday night, the motion of no confidence was passed by 94 votes to 92.
But posting on Twitter afterwards, Ms Ryan - who is chair of Labour Friends of Israel - insisted she would not be driven out by her internal opponents.
She said: "So lost 92 to 94 votes hardly decisive victory and it never occurred to me that Trots Stalinists Communists and assorted hard left would gave confidence in me. I have none in them."
Footage posted on Twitter by Iranian state channel Press TV shows some Enfield North CLP members cheering when the result of the ballot was read out.
The result of the vote comes as Labour continues to be dogged by an ongoing row over its handling of anti-Semitism by members.
Ms Ryan has been a Labour party member for 34 years and was first elected MP for Enfield North in 1997.
She lost the seat at the 2010 election, but won it back from the Conservatives in 2015 and at the last election was returned with an increased majority of 10,247.
Birkenhead MP Frank Field, another critic of Jeremy Corbyn, also lost a no confidence vote by his local party members, as did fellow Brexiteer Kate Hoey.
Mr Field resigned the Labour whip last week and is now embroiled in a legal row with the party.
However, John Mann and Graham Stringer, who have also backed the Government on crucial Brexit legislation, survived similar votes by members of their local Labour parties.
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