Labour deputy leadership hopeful Dawn Butler today said MPs who left the party should be “welcomed” back.
The shadow minister for women and equalities told the Standard she would like to see MPs such as Dame Louise Ellman, who quit the party over anti-Semitism, return to Labour.
Dame Louise, a member for 55 years, was among MPs who quit the party last year citing anti-Semitism and Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership. Ms Butler said: “She always said she would never join another party and would like to come back to the Labour Party.”
Asked about others, such as former Labour MP Luciana Berger, who co-founded The Independent Group for Change before joining the Liberal Democrats, Ms Butler said: “It has to be within party rules. But if people want to come back to the party that is something to be welcomed — of course.”
Under Labour rules anyone who joins or supports another political organisation cannot be a member. Applications for readmission are decided by the National Executive Committee, usually after a minimum of five years.
The Brent Central MP made the comments after a meeting with Labour members in a cafe in Camberwell.
She has been holding “grassroots” meetings with members around the country and making her case as a “unity” candidate.
She added: “Hopefully when I become deputy leader we’ll have citizen’s assemblies where we can discuss areas that might need a policy change or something that we are considering.”
Asked what set her apart from rivals, including frontrunner Angela Rayner and Scotland’s only Labour MP, Ian Murray, she said she was the only candidate to have served as a minister.
“In fact, there’s very few people in Parliament that have served in a Labour government now. I’m almost like the last woman standing.”
Ms Butler became an MP in 2005 and was minister for young citizens and youth engagement under Gordon Brown. Also vying to be deputy leader are Tooting MP Dr Rosena Allin-Khan and Left-winger Richard Burgon.
