Labour launches bid to purge Independent Group MPs from Commons committees

The party will hold internal elections to determine who they want to take over the Labour places that were lost when former members defected last month. 

Select committee places are allocated on a party basis at the start of each Parliament following a General Election.

Luciana Berger, Chuka Umunna, Angela Smith, Chris Leslie, Mike Gapes, Gavin Shuker and Ann Coffey formed the new centrist bloc last month amid frustration at the party's handling of its anti-semitism crisis and its Brexit stance.

They were joined a day later by Enfield North MP Joan Ryan and then the following day by Tories, Sarah Wollaston, Heidi Allen and Anna Soubry.

Labour has put the call out to find MPs who want to take the committee places of the splitters, except Health Committee MP Ms Berger, who is heavily pregnant.

One of the TIG MPs told PoliticsHome: "It's the new model Labour party. It's what you expect."

Ms Smith sits on the Environment Committee, Mr Leslie sits on the International Trade Committee, Mr Gapes sits on the Foreign Affairs Committee and Mr Shuker sits on the Women and Equalities Committee. 

Dr Wollaston today called on Speaker John Bercow to clarify whether Labour would be capable ousting Ms Berger under House rules.

“[Ms Berger] has served with great distinction as a member of the Health and Social Care Committee as a spokesperson, nationally recognised for her work on mental health,” she said.

“I am deeply concerned to hear that the Labour Party has been seeking names to replace her and oust her from her position on the select committee.

“Surely this is unacceptable and sends entirely the wrong message about how we value maternity leave in this place and I’m very relieved that none of her colleagues or former colleagues were prepared to be nominated in that way?"

She added that committees were “at their best” when members “leave their narrow party politics at the door rather than be a tool for the whips office”.

Speaker Bercow said it was down to the Commons selection committee to move a motion that could change a committee’s membership.

On the specific cases raised, he added: “I am not aware of any current plan to remove somebody from such a committee and I would not necessarily be even if there were such a plan, but procedurally what I’ve said is I think accurate and insofar as it contains advice it’s the fairest advice I can offer.”

Ms Ryan added in the Commons that there was “no precedent” for MPs who had left their parties to be removed from committees unless they personally wished to do so.

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