Labour’s North of Tyne mayor Jamie Driscoll has quit the party and lashed out at Sir Keir Starmer’s “broken promises” in an extraordinary resignation letter.
Mr Driscoll, a left-winger described as the “last Corbynista in power”, is furious at being blocked from running for the wider role of north east mayor.
He accused Sir Keir of U-turning on “so many promises” – claiming the Labour leader was engaged in “mental gymnastics worthy of Olympic gold”.
It comes as Mr Starmer faces a huge backlash from his own MPs – including “disheartened” frontbenchers – after he revealed the party would keep the Tories’ two-child benefit cap in place.
“In 2020 you told me to my face that you would ‘inspire people to come together ... disciplining people to be united is going nowhere’. You’ve broken that promise,” he wrote in a letter to Sir Keir.
Mr Driscoll said: “You’ve U-turned on so many promises: £28bn to tackle the climate emergency, free school meals, ending university tuition fees, reversing NHS privatisation; in fact, a list of broken promises too long to repeat in this letter.”
Revealing his deep frustration with Sir Keir, the North of Tyne mayor added: “It is not grown-up politics to say Britain is broken, and then claim things are now so difficult we will abandon any plan to fix it. That is mental gymnastics worthy of Olympic gold.”
Labour has picked Kim McGuinness, a police and crime commissioner, as their candidate for next year’s north east mayoral contest. Mr Driscoll said that if he can raise £25,000 for a campaign by the end of next months, he will stand as an independent against her. He had already raised £18,000 by early afternoon.
The left-wing pressure group Momentum spokesperson said Sir Keir’s “anti-democratic purge” had just cost Labour a “popular and effective mayor”.
A spokesman added: “By needlessly blocking Jamie Driscoll from running for Labour in the North East Mayoralty he himself helped secure, Starmer’s acolytes have divided the Labour Party, denied members and unions a fair say and alienated a sitting mayor … This is a mess entirely of Keir Starmer’s making.”
Sir Keir Starmer is under huge pressure over two-child benefit cap— (PA Wire)
But Labour released a statement suggesting that Mr Driscoll was simply deemed not good enough. “With Keir Starmer as leader, the Labour Party is a changed party … and we make no apologies that Labour candidates are held to the highest standard.”
Grilled on deselections, suspensions, and the blocking of left-wing candidates – including Mr Driscoll – Sir Keir told the BBC host Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday that he “rejected” the idea that he was ditching people and policies.
Asked if he is happy to “ruffle feathers” in order to win power, Sir Keir said: “Of course.” It comes as Labour MPs shared their fury over Sir Keir’s plan to uphold the Tories’ two-child benefit cap.
One shadow minister told The Independent the move was “extremely disheartening” and was already causing “a lot of unhappiness”. Another shadow minister said they were “not happy” with the U-turn.
One Labour MP told The Independent the U-turn would be “the straw that breaks the camel’s back”, sparking condemnation from all wings the party.
Deputy leader Angela Rayner is set to face a grilling over the policy on Monday evening at a meeting of Labour’s parliamentary party.
Asked about accusations of a purge of the left, shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper told BBC Radio 4’s World At One programme: “We’re always been a party that has people from all sorts of different views and perspectives and that needs to continue.”
She added: “It’s also important that we focus together on making sure we’ve got great candidates to stand for election and also that we’re ready to be able to try and form a Labour government.”
