The MP for York Central opted to resign from Jeremy Corbyn’s Shadow Cabinet yesterday (1 Feb), after the Labour leader imposed a three-line whip on his party to vote in favour of the government’s EU Withdrawal Bill.
The Bill, which was approved by MPs by a majority of 498 votes to 114, gives the Prime Minister the power to notify the European Union of the country’s intention to withdraw from the EU.
However, some MPs, particularly those whose constituencies voted in favour of remaining in the EU, opted to oppose the legislation.
In a letter to her constituents, who voted by a 58% majority to remain in the EU, Ms Maskell said she had opted to vote against her Party’s official stance on the legislation as she had ‘serious concerns’ over the impact of the withdrawal from the European single market and customs union.
Environmental protection
She wrote: “I believe that Theresa May’s Brexit ‘plan’ is creating an unjustifiable level of risk at a time of national and international uncertainty and volatility, with silence on national security measures, no mention of climate change mitigation or environmental protections, and no guarantee of good jobs or employment rights.
“Most worrying of all is the rapidly changing social context which is leading to a rise of racism and hate crime in the UK. These are the very things that I have campaigned on all my life and believe are central to Labour’s values.”
Her resignation will force Mr Corbyn to look for his third Shadow Environment Secretary, with Ms Maskell having stepped into the role in June 2016, after her predecessor Kerry McCarthy resigned following the EU referendum (see letsrecycle.com story).
During her time in the post, Ms Maskell had spoken to letsrecycle.com about Labour’s ‘commitment’ to upholding the EU’s Circular Economy package in light of Brexit and had been critical of voluntary initiatives aimed at encouraging businesses to improve their environmental practises (see letsrecycle.com story).
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