Jamie Driscoll quits Labour Party with swipe at Sir Keir Starmer
A sitting mayor who was blocked by Labour from standing for a brand new regional function has stop the get together in protest at Sir Keir Starmer’s management.
Jamie Driscoll, who was Labour’s North of Tyne mayor, mentioned he had “no other choice” however to stop the get together after he was barred from running as North East mayor last month.
He mentioned he would now serve the area as an impartial mayor.
In a letter to the Labour chief, Mr Driscoll accused Sir Keir of breaking “so many promises”, together with plans to scrap tuition fees, watering down a £28bn commitment to tackle climate change and introducing common free faculty meals.
He claimed the Labour chief instructed him in 2020 – when Sir Keir was working to guide the get together – that “disciplining people to be united is going nowhere”.
He wrote: “You’ve U-turned on so many promises: £28 billion 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.
“It shouldn’t be grown-up politics to say Britain is damaged, after which declare issues at the moment are so tough we are going to abandon any plan to repair it. That is psychological gymnastics worthy of Olympic gold.”
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Mr Driscoll added: “Worst of all, you have mentioned you are not fascinated by hope and alter.
“Well, I am – Britain needs hope and change. Instead of London Labour HQ barring me from running, you could have used my work as a showcase of economic competence.”
The choice to bar Mr Driscoll from the longlist to be the subsequent North East mayor – a task that was created as a part of a £1.4bn devolution deal for the area – was instantly criticised by MPs on the left, together with former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, who branded the news “staggering”.
Driscoll instructed Sky News of his shock at Labour’s choice
Clive Lewis, the Labour MP for Norwich South, mentioned he was “shocked by such sectarian behaviour”.
Sky News reported that Mr Driscoll’s candidacy was refused as a result of he not too long ago appeared at an occasion with the movie director Ken Loach, who was expelled from the party in 2021 for claiming there had been a “purge” and “witch hunt” of Jeremy Corbyn supporters underneath Sir Keir Starmer’s management.
Asked in regards to the controversy by Sophy Ridge on Sky News final month, Mr Driscoll refused to condemn controversial remarks made by Mr Loach about Jews, Israel and the Holocaust.
They embrace saying that Israel’s actions made an increase in antisemitism comprehensible, and replying that “all history” was up for dialogue when requested if the Holocaust was unacceptable or if Israel’s founding was based mostly on ethnic cleaning.
Mr Driscoll mentioned this was a query for Mr Loach, and that he was “not a spokesman for Ken Loach”.
“My combined authority has adopted the… IHRA [International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance] definition of antisemitism,” he added.
“I’ve been on Jewish Labour Movement training, I work very closely with the Jewish Leadership Council… visit the synagogues in my region.”
In a remaining swipe at Sir Keir, Mr Driscoll mentioned key figures within the area had inspired him to run as an impartial, “saying they will vote for me because the North East needs an autonomous voice that’s not in hock to Westminster Party HQs”.
A Labour spokesperson mentioned: “The Labour Party is delighted that local party members have selected Kim McGuinness as our candidate for the North East Mayoral election next year.
“With Keir Starmer as chief, the Labour Party is a modified get together, relentlessly focussed on delivering for working individuals, and we make no apologies that Labour candidates are held to the very best commonplace.
“The Tories have let our region down, and as Labour mayor, Kim will be the strong voice the North East deserves.”