'What a sorry bunch of hypocrites her local Labour party voters have turned out to be'

Activists are calling on Labour to suspend her from the party and declare her ineligible to stand as a candidate.

They have accused her of “colluding” with UKIP’s Nigel Farage and “propping up a failing government.”

Her colleague Frank Field also faces the threat of deselection by his local party members.

Their “crime” in the eyes of the Labour Party was to vote with the Government to get a key Brexit amendment passed with a majority of three – thanks also to Vince Cable and Tim Farron, the current and past Leader of the Liberal Democrats not being present in the House of Commons for the vote – yet no hint of them being deselected by their local party members. What a sorry bunch of hypocrites her local Labour party voters have turned out to be, as have the Government opposition Labour MPs with four honourable exceptions. Step forward Kate Hoey, Frank Field, Graham Stringer and Kelvin Hopkins (currently suspended and sitting as an Independent). These MPs have stuck to their principles in supporting Brexit in accordance with the majority wishes of their local constituents at the referendum. For their loyalty to their constituents they face the wrath of a Labour Party whose leader was originally fully pro Brexit, who declared that his party would abide by the Brexit vote and support a speedy departure on the best favourable terms for the UK.

Those same MPs with the exception of the four “mutineers” all voted against the Government which they had pledged to support on implementing Brexit – with no mention of a hard or soft option on the ballot paper!

They and others in Parliament are placing every obstacle in the Government’s way to hinder our leaving and even calling for a second referendum. Contrast the principled stance taken by the four against the voting record of our six local MPs who, with the exception of Jared O’Mara, all voted against the Brexit amendment and did not honour the wish of the majority electorate in their constituencies who voted to leave the EU. In particular Angela Smith whose constituency had one of the top five highest percentage leave votes in the UK.

MPs of all parties by a huge majority voted to pass the decision to remain or leave the EU over to the people because they did not feel that they could decide on such an important constitutional issue – they did so in the firm belief that the remain vote would prevail. 17.4 million UK voters decided otherwise!

Having originally passed this issue to the electorate because they did not feel able to handle it, and Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party pledging to honour the result, I respectfully ask our five Sheffield MPs who voted against the wishes of their constituents why they did so in face of their majority wish to leave, and their having originally voted to let those same constituents take the decision to stay or leave. Their conduct in betraying the democratic wish of their constituents is in marked contrast to the principled one of the four alleged “mutineers” who honoured the majority vote.

Cyril Olsen

Busk Meadow, Sheffield, S5