Senior Lab members incl council leader sign letter to centrist Leslie: you’ve ‘crossed a line…consider your position’

A large number of Nottingham East Labour members, among them senior elected figures including the council leader, have signed an open letter telling centrist MP Chris Leslie to ‘consider [his] position’.

The letter, signed by over eighty members in just a few days, criticises Leslie for bringing the Labour Party into disrepute and choosing to attack the party’s leadership instead of focusing on achieving the Labour government so desperately needed by suffering millions in this country.

Given the above, we feel we have to restate the importance of your duties as a Labour MP

The open letter to Chris Leslie

It goes on to point out Leslie’s “lack of presence” in the constituency, his “poor track record” of campaigning and his lack of engagement with local constituents, before stating that the signatories feel he needs reminding of his duties as a Labour MP:

Dear Chris

We write to express our disappointment with your recent email to constituents and comments to news outlets and on social media. We believe they were likely to damage the reputation and electoral prospects of our party.

The Labour Party has always been a broad church and we hope that it will continue to be so. However, we as party members expect our elected representatives to have an unfailing commitment to getting Labour into government so we can put our values into practice. We are writing to remind you again that this is our minimum expectation of you in your role as our Labour MP.

When Tory cuts have left our NHS so underfunded that patients are dying whilst they wait and millions of working families struggle to make ends meet, we need our elected representatives to use the platform the party has given them to promote our Labour values and our commitment to rebuilding Britain. Central government funding for the essential council services our citizens rely on in Nottingham has been slashed from £127m in 2013 to £25m for 2019/20. At the same time, we’ve seen homelessness and rough sleeping rocket as a direct result of Tory policies. We need you to speak for us and help promote Labour values to best represent the people of Nottingham East.

Sadly, we believe that the views expressed in your most recent email to constituents are likely to damage the reputation and electoral prospects of our party and give the impression that you are doubtful that a Labour government would be the best outcome for Britain. This email crossed a line and we believe it is unacceptable for a sitting Labour MP to attack the party in this manner.

As members we hold a variety of views on Brexit, on economic and foreign policy and we may have voted in different ways in the referendum and leadership elections. We are, though, united in our belief that Britain desperately needs a Labour government. We also firmly believe that your email, and some recent comments, make it appear that you are happy to attack the party leadership, other Labour MPs and party members; giving the impression that our party is divided as we approach the local council elections in May and a possible general election.

In June 2017, over 600 Nottingham East members signed our open letter asking you to ‘work with us to consolidate the united campaigning force that we have built in this election campaign. Your constituents desperately need you to help build that unity to prepare for the next election and a Labour victory.’ You have not done this.

We believe that the support you give constituents and party members in Nottingham East is well below that of other local Labour MPs. We note that you appear to have held a surgery in a local Sainsbury’s where little or no notice was given to constituents or members. Whilst this is some improvement over your long term reluctance to hold any surgery at all, it is not good enough. We also note that at that surgery your personal branding removed any reference to the Labour Party. We believe that you should hold regular surgeries for constituents that are advertised and you should make yourself available for them. Listening to and advocating on behalf of residents is an important part of your role in representing Nottingham East.

We also believe that your lack of presence in the constituency, and your poor track record of campaigning for the party in Nottingham, is in sharp contrast to other local MPs who campaign hard for the party and work with Labour councillors to improve the life of our residents. Members and residents are much more likely to have seen you attacking the party and its leadership than representing the views of local residents.

Given the above, we feel we have to restate the importance of your duties as a Labour MP and the need to conduct yourself in a manner befitting your role. We therefore demand that you:

– Advocate and work tirelessly for a Labour government and stop making divisive and damaging comments through email, social media, in person and publicly;
– Respond to residents’ concerns and hold regular open surgeries that are advertised widely using Labour branding;
– Begin to organise and attend regular campaign sessions alongside councillors and in our neighbouring marginals;
– Be in the constituency regularly and attend community events;
– Contribute to local newsletters, events and activities to promote our party and encourage and enable others to do so.

As Labour members in Nottingham East, we ask you to carefully consider your position as our MP and to make the improvements and commitments outlined above which we believe you need to address to be an effective MP for Nottingham East.

Yours sincerely

The open letter from Nottingham East Labour members to Chris Leslie

The letter is signed by the most senior officers of Nottingham East Labour Party, as well as by the leader of the council, several councillors and council candidates. Those highlighted in bold below are councillors or local election candidates. The third name in each line is that of the member’s branch:

Adele Williams Nottingham East CLP Secretary and Sherwood Councillor
Louise Regan Nottingham East CLP Chair
Nick Raine Sherwood Nottingham East Vice Chair Membership
Tom Coogan Dales
Tom Unterrainer Berridge
Gareth Hardwick Sherwood
Matthew Newnham Sherwood
Abbey Rees-Hales Sherwood
Jonathon Spittlehouse Sherwood
Lauren O’Grady Sherwood
Chris Summerlin Sherwood
Hassan Ahmed Sherwood
Sean Conway Berridge
Sally Morawetz Sherwood
Frank McMahon Mapperley
Zahid Chaudhary St Anns
Tina Yemm Sherwood
Neil Johnson Sherwood
Zenn Athar-James Berridge
Ross Bradshaw Sherwood
Nick Lucas Dales
Alice Coady Mapperley
Mat Anderson St Anns
Angie Mindel Sherwood
Steve Jansky Mapperley
Ivan Wels Sherwood
Oliver Charleston Berridge
Rosamund Evans Sherwood
Antonia Murphy Sherwood
Toby Neal Berridge
Safiya O’Donnell Mapperley
Matt Southall Mapperley
Dawn Pritchard Sherwood
Ankunda Matsiko Berridge
Paul Wilkinson Sherwood
Tom Robbins Berridge
Nick Butcher Sherwood
Christina Jansky Mapperley
Ann-Marie Saward Mapperley
Matt Langthorne Mapperley
Liam Maloy Sherwood
Scotty Clark Sherwood
Stacey Mcmullen Arboretum
Jérémie Cauchois Sherwood
Matthew Bean Berridge
Emma Whatson Sherwood
Gareth Morgan Berridge
Kate McNamara Berridge
Ben Taylor Mapperley
Garry Pride Berridge
Irene Murray Arboretum
Matt Burrows Berridge
Davinia Jackson Berridge
Clive Healiss Berridge
Joe Pick Berridge
Mazher Hussain Berridge
Stewart Halforty Dales
Peter Loewenstein Sherwood
Manya Benenson Berridge
Stacey McMullen Arboretum
Rhonda Wattleyv Mapperley
Meg Bowden St Anns
Matt Blick Arboretum
Ishtiaq Haq Sherwood
Geraint Thomas Sherwood
Andy Nash Berridge
Paul Wentworth Dales
Philip Sambell Berridge
Alexander Grayston Berridge
Fiona Gilchrist Berridge
Robert Taylor Berridge
Alan Barker Mapperley
Linda Sullivan Mapperley
Kathryn Butler Sherwood
Stella Nickolay Sherwood
Emily Braham Berridge
Jeremy Hepburn Sherwood
Pavlos Kotsonis Mapperley
Jon Collins St Anns
Julian Phillips Sherwood
Jane Crich Berridge
Salma Mumtaz Dales

Council leader Jon Collins, who signed the letter in a personal capacity, told the SKWAWKBOX:

I signed it because there’s nothing in the letter I disagree with. I don’t do personality politics but my primary concern is getting a Labour government and ensuring my constituents get what they need from the MP who represents them. I think the letter is a fair reflection of what they need both locally and in Parliament.

Jon Collins

Chris Leslie was contacted for comment but had not responded by the time of publication.

SKWAWKBOX comment:

Chris Leslie has long been a man out of place in the Labour Party. For the good of his constituents and of the country as a whole, he needs to remember which party he’s supposed to be representing.

If he’s unable to do so, he should make way for someone who can.

Leslie has already suffered a vote of no confidence by local members. No smart money will be placed on him getting the message of this letter, but it shows the urgency Nottingham East members feel about the issue.

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