An ex-shadow minister fired for giving interviews from a picket line still wants ‘definitely’ Sir Keir Starmer to become prime minister.
Sam Tarry was thrown off the opposition bench hours Wednesday after joining strikers at an RMT picket line at Euston Station.
At another picket line at Paddington station, the ex-shadow transport minister said it was ‘very important’ for Labor MPs to show solidarity with striking workers.
It came when Aslef members walked out on seven train companies for 24 hours, paralyzing services in many parts of the country.
Tarry said: ‘I believe Keir Starmer is absolutely still the best person to be Prime Minister and I will campaign for a Labor government every day.’
He added that the Labor Party needed a “fundamental reassessment” of its relationship with the union movement and show that it was on their side.
Sir Keir, who previously banned front benchers from joining picket lines, said Mr Tarry was fired for putting himself on media programs without permission and making up ‘on the hoof’ policies.
Mr Tarry also appeared yesterday with former party leader Jeremy Corbyn at a meeting for striking BT workers.
The Labor MP for Ilford South said: ‘We should never have been in a situation where we issued an edict not to join a picket line.
‘This is the PvdA, the clue is in the name. We are the party founded by the unions.’
He said the link between the union movement and the Labor Party is “indivisible” and “part of the same fabric”.
Mr Tarry added: ‘To me my presence here means to show that the Labor Party and a vast majority of Labor Party members and MPs support the striking workers.’
He said he had spoken to several MPs across the country who supported the workers.
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