Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Andy McDonald’s resignation spells trouble for Starmer

Andy McDonald (Getty images)

Andy McDonald has resigned from Labour’s shadow cabinet after Keir Starmer refused to back raising the Minimum Wage to £15 an hour. In his resignation letter, he writes: 

‘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.’

More damagingly, he adds: 

Starmer has set great store by trying to keep the Labour party together.

‘I joined your frontbench team on the basis of the pledges that you made in the leadership campaign to bring about unity within the party and maintainability 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.

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