THEY BOTH stood as Labour candidates – but the two MPs in Tower Hamlets voted different Ways on Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement when the House of Commons debated the issue (again) last Friday, 29th March.
•Jim Fitzpatrick, MP for Poplar & Limehouse, voted for Tory Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal in an earlier vote – and he supported the withdrawal agreement when it was put to the House of Commons on its own. Fitzpatrick had been lobbied by a number of constituents who hoped he would follow the Labour Party line and oppose the UK withdrawing from the EU on the basis of May’s “deal” – but he had made it quite clear to those that approached him that he was prepared to vote Tory. His reasoning was that he would do anything to avoid the UK leaving the EU with no deal in place – and that “anything” would include voting for the Prime Minister’s “deal” if it was necessary to do so to avoid the UK leaving the EU by default and with no deal in place. Some constituents will wonder if that was the choice facing the House of Commons on Friday and will be waiting to hear Fizpatrick’s explanation of this latest vote.
•Rushanara Ali, MP for Bethnal Green & Bow, voted against Theresa May’s Brexit deal the last time it came to the Commons and also voted against the withdrawal agreement when it came back to the Commons on its own last Friday. Ali has not referred to her own views on social media very often, but she was seen on Sky News recently calling for MPs to stop the Prime Minister running the Brexit process and take it on themselves. MPs did later hold a number of indicative votes on how to proceed with Brexit, but were unable to agree on any single course of action. Ali spoke passionately on Sky against the Prime Minister’s deal, making it clear she would not vote for it. Stony faced, she made clear her contempt for the MPs from other parties who joined her for the interview. •See Rushanara’s Sky News performance here: Rushanara gets quite cross
•Read more about it: “Dim Jim” may back Tories again on Brexit Fitzpatrick rebels: too little, too late