Labour tells ‘callous’ Webbe to resign after conviction

CLAUDIA WEBBE, the former Labour MP, came under further pressure to resign last night, amid calls for system reform so that politicians are unseated as soon as they receive a custodial sentence.

Webbe, 56, was given a 10-week suspended sentence this week for harassment after threatening her partner’s ex-girlfriend with acid. Her behaviour was described as “callous and intimidatory” by a judge, who warned that she would have been jailed immediately were it not for her previous good character.

Webbe, who now sits as an independent MP for Leicester East after being expelled by the Labour Party, has insisted that she is innocent and will appeal against the conviction.

As a result, her constituents will not be given the option to sign a recall petition to trigger a by-election and remove her from power until her appeal has failed, which could take months.

Sir Alistair Graham, the former chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, backed suggestions that judicial processes involving MPS, particularly criminal appeals, should be

‘It’s an incredibly serious offence and we called on her to resign as soon as she was convicted’

prioritised to avoid lengthy delays.

“It is unfortunate if an appeal is delayed and constituents feel shortchanged,” he said.

Current rules mean that MPS can only be immediately recalled if they are handed a custodial sentence of one year or more. Lord Mann, the Labour peer, called for reform, saying that any MP with a custodial sentence, suspended or otherwise, “shouldn’t be in Parliament”.

“Let the voters have their say,” he said. “With a suspended jail sentence, of course she should face recall. I’m surprised she hasn’t resigned already.

“[With] a suspended sentence, you shouldn’t be in Parliament and, at a minimum, the voters should be given the chance to determine whether they want you in or not. Don’t break the law.”

He added: “Call a by-election and get a new mandate if you are confident that people will back you.”

The Labour Party is pushing for a byelection in Webbe’s seat and, in the wake of her sentencing, has reiterated its calls for her to stand down.

“It’s an incredibly serious offence and we called on her to resign as soon as she was convicted,” Shabana Mahmood, MP for Birmingham Ladywood, said.