Keir sacks Rayner’s lover in picket row
Fears of civil war in party ++ MPs outraged after he wields axe
SIR Keir Starmer risked igniting another civil war in his party after sacking his shadow transport minister for giving interviews from a rail union picket line.
Sam Tarry – who is a close ally of Jeremy Corbyn and is in a relationship with Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner – turned up at London’s Euston Station yesterday alongside striking rail workers and spoke to broadcasters.
Sir Keir, who had warned his frontbench team on Tuesday that they should stay away from picket lines, sacked him last night. Labour said the reason was his unauthorised media appearances.
The decision drew ire from MPs on the Left of the party, branding it ‘frankly shameful’.
Another 19 Labour MPs, including two other frontbenchers, also joined RMT picket lines yesterday – although it is understood no action will be taken against them.
Left-wing Labour MPs lashed out at Sir Keir’s move, with former shadow chancellor John McDonnell commenting: ‘This must be the first Labour MP to be removed from his
‘The sacking is quite frankly shameful’
frontbench position for joining a trade union picket line to support workers.’
Ian Lavery MP added: ‘Supporting RMT union workers and all other workers in dispute is in the best traditions of what Labour was founded for and should stand for. The sacking is quite frankly shameful.’
Sharon Graham, general secretary of trade union Unite, said: ‘The Labour sacking of Sam Tarry for supporting working people on strike, against cuts to their jobs and pay, is another insult to the trade union movement.’
Mr Tarry is a former official for the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) union. Last night he said trade unions are on a ‘direct collision course’ with the Labour leadership – and claimed Sir Keir has a worse relationship with organised labour than Tony Blair.
‘There is a complete lack of dialogue, a complete lack of understanding, a complete lack of culture,’ he told LBC.
TSSA general secretary Manuel Cortes said: ‘If they think they can win the next general election while pushing away 7 million trade union members, they are deluded.’
Sir Keir said on Tuesday that his party needed to act as if it was ‘in power’, and that a ‘government doesn’t go on picket lines’ but solves disputes instead. It comes just weeks after dozens of his MPs flouted similar orders to show solidarity with rail strikes in June.
Parliamentary private secretaries Paula Barker and Kate Osborne were also pictured at picket lines yesterday. Speaking from his picket line, Mr Tarry told Sky News: ‘Labour will always stand on the side of workers who are making very difficult decisions.’ He told Channel 4 News: ‘If I lose my job for standing shoulder-to-shoulder with rail workers, then so be it.’
A shadow cabinet source believed Sir Keir’s picket line position would not be sustainable.
Mr Tarry was defended by shadow home secretary Diane Abbott, who posted photos of MPs on picket lines and said: ‘Whatever you do, don’t tell Keir Starmer!’
Last month Mr Tarry, who was Mr Corbyn’s 2016 campaign director, lost his reselection battle in his Ilford South constituency, meaning he will be challenged for the right to stand again.
A Sir Keir ally told the i newspaper: ‘The deselection express is coming to collect Mr Tarry and he needs his old job back as a TSSA official.’ A Labour spokesman said: ‘This isn’t about appearing on a picket line. Members of the frontbench sign up to collective responsibility. That includes media appearances being approved and speaking to agreed frontbench positions.’