Andy McDonald has resigned as the Shadow Secretary of State for
Employment Rights and Protections.
The following is the text of his resignation letter:
It is with deep sadness that I am tendering my resignation from
the Shadow Cabinet.
My role as Shadow Secretary of State for Employment Rights and
Protections has become untenable.
When you became leader, I accepted the role because I wanted to
fight for the working people of this country. It has become clear
to me that I cannot do this as a member of the Shadow Cabinet.
Yesterday, your office instructed me to go into a meeting to
argue against a National Minimum Wage of £15 an hour and against
Statutory Sick Pay at the living wage. This is something I could
not do.
After many months of a pandemic when we made commitments to stand
by key workers, I cannot now look those same workers in the eye
and tell them they are not worth a wage that is enough to live
on, or that they don’t deserve security when they are ill.
We live in a time when the people of this country have a renewed
awareness of how important the work done by millions of low-paid
workers truly is. To have the Labour Party, the party of working
people, fail to realise that is a bitter blow.
I joined your frontbench team on the basis of the pledges that
you made in the leadership campaign to bring about unity within
the parry and maintain our commitment to socialist policies.
After eighteen months of your leadership, our movement is more
divided than ever and the pledges that you made to the membership
are not being honoured. This is just the latest of many.
I am immensely proud of the work my team has done to produce
Labour’s Employment Rights Green Paper, which was unveiled
earlier this week. I will continue working with comrades across
the movement to ensure that this agenda is delivered.
I look forward to being free to fight for the working people of
this country from the backbenches.
Yours,
