Welsh Labour MP takes swipe at ‘left-wing’ Keir Starmer critics

A Welsh Labour MP has taken a swipe at “left-wing” critics of her party’s Westminster leader Keir Starmer.

Carolyn Harris, the Labour leader’s parliamentary private secretary (PPS), dismissed criticism of his leadership as “nonsense” that isn’t based in “the real world”.

The Member of Parliament for Swansea East, as well as Deputy Leader of Welsh Labour told HuffPost UK that those on the left of the party were “making themselves look silly”.

The intervention came after a coalition of MPs, unions and Labour members called Starmer to hold an emergency party conference amid speculation of a leadership challenge as members fear he is repositioning the party to the centre. Concern has also been expressed that he is still lagging behind the Tories in the opinion polls.

But Harris told HuffPost UK’s Commons People podcast: “All this nonsense about so and so and so and so is going to challenge him for the leadership – bring it on, because it’s nonsense.

“(They are) just making themselves look silly.

“Talking on Zoom, that’s all they are doing, talking to each other on Zoom.”

‘Real world’

She added: “Come into the real world my loves and let’s talk about the damage that’s been done and the repair work that we’re doing.”

“When I see these articles – I’ve actually done it this morning – when I see these articles which say so and so, so and so is going to be challenging Keir for leader and we need a left-wing candidate,” the Swansea East MP said.

“That’s the time I think god, we’re getting it right. We must be doing it right because this is what it’s all about. “You’ve got to move on haven’t you?

“We had that project, it failed abysmally, we were a laughingstock, let’s make no bones about it.”

On Wednesday, Labour MP Richard Burgon told BBC Politics Live: “We’re in the biggest crisis for decades and we’re not sufficiently cutting through at the moment.”

“It seems to many people that the leadership has shown more enthusiasm for attacking the left in the Labour Party than it has for properly holding the government to account for one of the highest coronavirus death rates in the world.

“That can’t go on, we need the leadership to take the fight to the Tories not take the fight to its own volunteers and members.”