The former Crewe & Nantwich MP Laura Smith has quit the Labour Party, and launched a stinging attack in its culture of “bullying, belittling, fear and lack of respect”.
Ms Smith made the announcement just days after being suspended by the local Cheshire East Labour group.
She says she was suspended after refusing to vote “with the whip” for the proposed 2024-25 Budget.
Now the former Nantwich teacher intends to represent her Crewe South ward as an independent “socialist” councillor.
Ms Smith said today: “I would love to say politics is a safe space for women – it isn’t.
“I would desperately like to say debate and conflict is respectful and healthy. It’s not.
“I wish I could say that the old tropes that politics is a dirty corrupt business are untrue. Sadly it is.
“And that is from the top of our system all the way down to local politics.
“Labour has become a place where to have a thought in your head that differs to the Labour leaderships and the officials behind the scenes is an offence that can lead to suspension or expulsion.
“I’m not perfect, I don’t have all the answers, but one thing I am not is a hypocrite.
“It is for that reason, after much consideration, I have decided to resign my membership of the UK Labour Party rather than appeal my recent suspension by the local Labour group.
“This has not been an easy decision but on balance it is the right one for me.
“I feel that an alternative voice is no longer respected within the party structures.
“There is a complete void of decency, honesty, ambition and leadership from those with the true power to change things.
“Talk is cheap and the dishonesty I have encountered on a daily basis in politics is something that I could not have imagined.
“I will be true to the little girl I was and not allow my voice to be erased and my opinions silenced.”
Ms Smith because MP for Crewe and Nantwich in 2017 after a successful campaign fighting against local education cuts by the Tory government.
She then lost her seat in the December 2019 election to Tory challenger Dr Kieran Mullan.
I have never had any problem getting a response
This is another encouraging sign that the Labour Party has learned the lessons of the electorally-disastrous Corbyn era.
With her radical-sixth-former student activism (“Let’s have a general strike”) and her willingness to get into bed with the Tories Ms Smith was never a good representative for the party or its values.
Good luck Laura,people are getting tired of the main party’s! Maybe it’s time to look for alternative?
Any one who wants a national strike is better of gone
As I’m sure you will know it is the staff in the constituency office who actually deal with and reply to letters / emails to MPs – any level
of difference in response rates is down to the office staff not the individual MP. Laura Smith was an awful MP , the only good thing about her was she was only in office less than 2 years. Her swap to local council has been another awful development- failing the people she supposedly represents. We need better quality people in politics and the only way of doing so is real participatory democracy not failed representative politics.
This issue highlight the problem with councils and UK government. The fact is we are living in a dictatorship because an MP or councillor is supposed to represent the people not some idealology that is imposed from on high. Look at the parking issue in Sandbach. The people came out in force got publicity on TV and still the council imposed it.
The dog needs changing because the tail should not wag the dog. You can see why the Tories want laws to stop protests as hopefully very soon people with wake up and demand what we want not because some official gets a brown paper envelope.
I dont agree with Laura on anything political but I respect her for always responding to constituents and listening to them which is more than can be said for either the current MP or the new Labour candidate
‘Cllr’ Brian Silvester, ‘spared’ jail.
Is that the same woefully puddled Laura Smith whose idea of serving her Constituency and benefitting our Country was to call for a ‘General Strike’? 🤣🤣🤣
The labour party has taken a wrong turn if it has no place for Laura.
Unless you are criticising the NHS, and Leighton in particular, even if presenting facts in a positive vein…you are then driving a dagger through his biased heart, and you will get a response. The apple doesn’t drop far from the tree!
She’s making the point I keep telling canvassers no party is for the general public and certain individuals are for themselves, it’s supposed to be about the populist not the candidate or party
I like the fact that she has resigned from the party due to their attempt to force her to do something against her wish and follow the party line. But what this does highlight is that the council is led by a MAJOR party and not by what the people actually want. It all intimates that despite the Labour political party statements about bullying etc., the reality is slightly different.
The current MP’s office contacted me nearly 6 months after I had involved him in an issue with CEC. I had resolved the issue well before his response. I respect her for her stance and comments.
Glad to see her go. Too much whingeing and self promotion
Excellent MP who was a local champion only wanted to be MP for Crewe and Nantwich not a career politician. Corcoran’s labour party is Tory’s wearing a red rosette Good luck Laura you will do a better job as an independant
quite right, the way some men treat women is a disgrace, we need even more women in politics, but for some reason we are way behind other modern countries, sheer waste of talent, women get the job done faster. I don’t agree with Brian Silvester such a silly throw away comment to make I must say, I have no difficulty contacting Kieran Mullan who is under the radar when it comes to his work achievements, he quietly gets on with things that others have failed to address successfully, unlike many others I could mention
This is a brave move and I wish her well.
When she was MP she responded to all messages ………unlike Kieran Mullan.
Getting a response out of him is like pulling teeth.