Seventh Labour MP in two years loses confidence vote after revolt by activists

Labour MP Virendra Sharma has become the latest politician to lose a vote of no confidence tabled by local party members.

The MP for Ealing Southall lost by 41 votes to 18 in a row over him allegedly not attending his constituency meetings for almost two years.

The motion against him was tabled by Left-wing activist Rheian Davies, who is a local organiser for Jeremy Corbyn’s campaign group Momentum.

She said the move against Mr Sharma came from all sides of the party and she laid the motion on behalf of union delegate branch Unite’s legal workers.

She said: “We need, more than ever, a strong Labour MP. Instead we have Virendra Sharma who simply doesn’t show up when needed.”

The 71-year-old, who was elected in a by-election in 2007, is the seventh Labour MP to lose a no-confidence vote in the past two years.

Moderate ex-Labour MPs Angela Smith, Chris Leslie, Joan Ryan and Gavin Shuker lost votes tabled by Left-wing factions in their local parties. They quit Labour last month to form The Independent Group.

Brexit backer Frank Field MP also lost a vote and later resigned from Labour to sit as an independent. Fellow Brexit supporter Kate Hoey has also lost a vote of no confidence.

The chairman of Ealing Southall CLP, Dr Onkar Sahota, said: “[The] vote represents a decision made by delegates across diverse groupings, and we fully respect our members’ democratic right to have voted no confidence.”