THE majority of Scottish Labour politicians have remained silent after MP Brian Leishman lost the party whip.
On Wednesday, the backbench rebel was kicked out of the parliamentary Labour party by Keir Starmer.
The Grangemouth MP is understood to have lost the whip after voting against the Government and criticism of its policies in the media.
English MPs Neil Duncan-Jordan, Chris Hinchliff and Rachel Maskell, who led a rebellion against the Government’s welfare cuts and threatened Labour’s majority, also lost the whip.
In the wake of the move by Starmer, who is reportedly attempting to restore party discipline before the summer recess beginning on Tuesday, The National can reveal the majority of Scottish Labour MPs and MSPs have remained silent.
Out of 59 [[Scottish Labour]] parliamentarians, both in Westminster and Holyrood, only two have shown any public support for Leishman.
Both of those who have publicly spoken out are members of the Scottish Parliament. None of Leishman’s Westminster colleagues have made any comment on social media, despite posting about other issues.
Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, tweeted a photograph of himself and Leishman, writing: “The Alloa & [[Grangemouth]] constituency has one of the hardest working MPs in the country and I stand in solidarity with @BrianLeishmanMP”.
Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, said in a statement: “Brian Leishman is exactly what a Labour MP should be: A committed socialist and trade unionist prepared to fight for his constituents without fear or favour.
“This is the wrong decision and the whip should be returned.”
The Alloa & Grangemouth constituency has one of the hardest working MPs in the country and I stand in solidarity with @BrianLeishmanMP pic.twitter.com/go0bCwpRzW
— Alex Rowley MSP (@AlexRowleyFife) July 17, 2025
Elsewhere, none of the 21 remaining Scottish Labour MSPs have mentioned the suspension on their social media.
[[Scottish Labour]] leader Anas Sarwar tweeted about energy policy “delivering new jobs, investment and opportunities for Scotland,” while his deputy Jackie Baillie boasted that the UK Government was “securing defence jobs in our community” in regards to a funding announcement for Faslane.
None of the 36 Scottish Labour MPs made any public comment on Leishman’s suspension either.
In response to our analysis, SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson said: “The silence is deafening.
“When it comes to principles or orders from London, it’s clear which one wins every time with Labour in Scotland.”
Leishman has been a critic of Starmer’s Government during the Prime Minister’s first year in Number 10. In a recent interview with the BBC, he said he was not proud of the party’s first year in office.
While the suspensions are meant to be viewed as Starmer showing strength and control of his parliamentary party by cracking down on rebels, it has yet again shone a light on Scottish Labour’s inability to stand up to Westminster.
Leishman, despite voting against the Government on welfare cuts, has still defended policies like the Employment Rights Bill, which he described as a “phenomenal piece of legislation”.
By remaining silent on Leishman’s suspension, it could be argued that Scottish Labour politicians, MPs in particular, are more concerned about keeping in the Government’s good books than standing up for their constituents, or indeed their socialist colleagues.
It’s a test for Sarwar too, who appears to have no qualms about falling into line behind Starmer on any topic, even going so far as to defend the welfare cuts before the Government ultimately dropped them due to pressure from rebels.
