Brig sat down with Brian Leishman, the Independent MP for Alloa and Grangemouth, to discuss his suspension from Labour, his thoughts on government policy from Gaza to Grangemouth, and what he would like to see from Labour going forward.
His suspension from Labour
In mid-July, Leishman was among four MPs who were suspended from the Labour Party for repeated breaches of party discipline.
When asked about his suspension, Leishman told Brig that while he was waiting to speak in debates about welfare and taxation, he received an email from the Chief Whip asking him to attend a meeting the next day.
“So 12:45, after PMQs, [I went] straight outside the Chief [whip]’s office, got called in… I was out by one o’clock. That was it”, Leishman said.
He said that it was a “temporary suspension of the whip pending [an] investigation” into how many times he’d voted against the government, alongside his comments in the mainstream media and on social media.
Leishman told Brig that his criticisms were directed solely towards policies not included in Labour’s 2024 manifesto, such as the cuts to international aid and increased spending on defence.
When he asked the Chief Whip for a timeline of this investigation, Leishman said he was told it wouldn’t conclude this side of the Labour Conference, which ends on October 1.
The now Independent MP described the suspension as a shock— although he stressed that “day-to-day, nothing’s changed” and he remains committed to representing his constituents.
Brig asked Leishman about representing his constituents going forward, and if the new ‘Your Party’ appeals to him as a left-leaning MP. Leishman started by complimenting the founders’ performance as parliamentarians, pointing to Jeremy Corbyn’s help with navigating the “nuances” of Westminster and Zarah Sultana’s presence on picket lines and demonstrations.
While he wishes them well, he said he feels Labour is the most likely vehicle for delivering social improvement, due to the level of infrastructure it has behind it as an established party with party mechanisms, a core voting block, and local groups.
The MP then said he recognises that while he is at odds with the current leadership, he wishes to remain a Labour member, have the whip restored, and shape the party into one more tolerant of internal debate, more engaged with backbenchers in shaping policy, and one that allows local members to choose their candidates.
Thoughts on Gaza and foreign policy
Leishman told Brig that there is “a murderous apartheid regime committing a genocide” in Gaza, and he’d like to see an independent public inquiry with legal powers to establish what role the UK has played.
When asked if he’d support international trials if such an inquiry found government ministers complicit in breaches of international law, Leishman said that as signatories to the International Criminal Court (ICC), the UK should be honest and transparent about its role in Gaza, and “from there, follow international law”.
On steps that he would like to see the UK take, Leishman listed the unconditional recognition of a Palestinian state, a suspension of all military cooperation with Israel, and an end to arms sales with Israel.
He also backed international arrest warrants for members of the Israeli government, the enactment of military, diplomatic, and trade sanctions on Israel, and the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador based in the UK.
Speaking more broadly on foreign policy, Leishman said that it should be “written in Britain, by Britain, and not from Washington DC”. Explaining this, he said he feels the American influence on British politics has been apparent for many decades now, and power needs to shift back into British hands.
Leishman next discussed President Donald Trump. The MP said he recognises the importance of dealing with him as US President but stressed that the UK’s international and domestic interests should take priority.
“We’ve all seen school playground bullies, and you’ve got to stand up to them,” Leishman said.
Local issues in Alloa and Grangemouth
On the recent closure of the Grangemouth oil refinery, which caused the direct loss of over 400 jobs, Leishman criticised the lack of action by both the Scottish and UK Governments, and although he considered it to be a problem that Labour inherited, he insisted that they could do more, faster.
For instance, the Labour Government committed to invest £200 million from the National Wealth Fund into the Grangemouth site in February, but unions, workers, and Leishman say the money is yet to arrive.
He continued, saying that the Grangemouth refinery should have been taken over similarly to British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant, although he stressed that full nationalisation should be the goal. Leishman explains he feels continuing to allow private capital and foreign governments to run key infrastructure would be a mistake.
On his constituency at large, Leishman spoke in-depth about his positive interactions with small businesses during the Scotland Loves Local Week at the end of August and the engagement of local football clubs within their communities.
He also noted the benefit of having touring surgeries, as it allows him to engage with several communities within quite a large constituency.
The biggest threat to Labour and what actions the party should take going forward
Leishman predicted that, as seen in the Hamilton by-election, three-way shootouts with tight majorities between Labour, the SNP, and Reform UK will become more common.
Focusing particularly on the rise of Reform UK, he pointed to the “failure of the political class over the last… 40 years” and suggested that Reform have capitalised on the public’s desire for change.
“The rhetoric from Reform… is terrifying, and as a Labour MP, that is something that keeps me awake at night… that if we do not do a good enough job in government… what comes next is terrifying,” he told Brig.
Leishman added that since the Conservatives are in “complete disarray”, he wouldn’t rule out some Conservative-Reform “amalgamation” in the coming years.
Going forward, he said he’d like to see Labour make genuine improvements to people’s lives through policies rooted in Labour values. An example he gave was the widespread investments in public services – namely, healthcare, education, and housing.
To fund this, and offset the effects of austerity, the pandemic, and the cost-of-living crisis, he pointed to an annual two per cent wealth tax on people with assets worth over £10 million and the equalisation of capital gains tax with income tax.
On whether Labour had made people richer or poorer over their first year, he pointed to the Employment Rights Bill and the minimum wage increase as policies that has improved people’s lives.
However, he also called the increase in employer national insurance contributions “flawed”. He pointed to Ofgem’s two per cent increase in the energy price cap as something that requires government intervention, saying it will offset the increase in the national minimum wage.
Brig contacted the Labour Party for comment but has yet to receive a response.
Featured Image Credit: House of Commons/Laurie Noble. Made on Canva.
Politics Editor
Journalism and Politics 4th Year
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