Brexit: Labour aides quit over Starmer's backing for trade deal
- Published
Helen Hayes served as a shadow minister in Keir Starmer's team
Three Labour frontbenchers have quit their roles after defying leader Sir Keir Starmer's order to vote for the PM's post-Brexit trade deal.
Sir Keir said Labour had to back the "thin" deal because it was better than "no deal".
But three shadow frontbenchers - Tonia Antoniazzi, Helen Hayes and Florence Eshalomi - abstained in protest at it.
Only one Labour MP - Bell Ribeiro-Addy - voted against the deal, which cleared the Commons by 521 votes to 73.
Ms Ribeiro-Addy, who represents Streatham, in South London, rejected Sir Keir's claim that not voting for the EU (Future Relationship) Bill, external - which brings the trade deal into UK law - would lead to the UK leaving EU trading rules on Thursday with no deal.
"Such a suggestion is, from a legal and constitutional perspective, entirely wrong," she tweeted, adding the vote was not about approval of the deal, but what powers the government would have to implement it.
In all, 36 Labour MPs chose not to vote for the deal, plus former leader Jeremy Corbyn and backbencher Claudia Webbe, who are currently sitting as independents.
Tonia Antoniazzi resigned from her role working with Labour's shadow cabinet for Work and Pensions and Scotland so she could abstain.
"I pledged to my constituents to never vote for anything that would make them worse off," she wrote in her resignation letter to Sir Keir.
"This deal is nothing close to what is being sold to the British public, and it does not meet Labour's six tests for a Brexit deal.
"The language, behaviours, disrespect and chumocracy that this country has had to endure from this government will continue if we endorse their actions in any way."
Helen Hayes tweeted: "I can't vote for this damaging deal and have abstained today. With much sadness and regret I've offered my resignation as shadow cabinet office minister."
Florence Eshalomi resigned as an Opposition Whip, saying she could not support the "rushed" bill.
All Conservative MPs voted for the bill, apart from veteran Brexiteers Owen Paterson and John Redwood, who abstained.
All other parties voted against the bill.