Ten pro-Israel Labour MPs likely to lose seats

Labour’s pro-Israel MPs face wipe-out

Labour MPs under threat include Stoke-on-Trent MP Ruth Smeeth, Dudley North’s Ian Austin and Joan Ryan, the chair of Labour Friends of Israel

By Marcus Dysch, Jewish Chronicle
April 20, 2017

The political careers of a number of key Jewish and pro-Israel Labour MPs are in doubt after Theresa May’s decision to call a snap general election.

According to most opinion polls, the Conservatives hold a lead over Labour of over 20 points.

If the result on June 8 comes even close to reflecting that then Labour MPs with 5,000-8,000 majorities will face defeat.

That would mean the end for Ivan Lewis, former Middle East Minister and Bury South MP, whose 2015 majority was 4,922.

Labour has performed poorly in Greater Manchester this year, losing the Kersal ward on Salford City Council in March for the first time in decades. Around 40 per cent of voters in the ward are Jewish.

Ruth Smeeth’s majority in Stoke North is 4,836, and David Winnick, at 83 Britain’s oldest Jewish MP, won by just 1,937 votes in Walsall North in 2015.

Pro-Israel Labour MPs under threat include Joan Ryan, the chair of Labour Friends of Israel, and Ian Austin, the son of a Holocaust survivor, who has repeatedly condemned Jeremy Corbyn’s handling of the antisemitism crisis.

Ms Ryan has a majority of just 1,086 in her Enfield North constituency, while Mr Austin won his Dudley North seat by 4,181 votes in 2015.

Jewish Labour MPs Louise Ellman and Luciana Berger, and Conservative Grant Shapps, have confirmed they will defend their seats.

Lee Scott, former Conservative MP for Ilford North, said he will fight to regain the seat he lost by 589 votes to Labour’s Wes Streeting in 2015.

Sarah Sackman, Labour’s 2015 candidate in Finchley and Golders Green —the constituency with the most Jewish voters — was still considering whether to launch a second challenge for the seat on Wednesday.

In Hendon, with the second highest proportion of Jewish constituents, Andrew Dismore, the former Labour MP who fought two close contests against Tory Matthew Offord in 2010 and 2015, also said he would decide in the coming days whether to stand again.

Jewish supp0rt for Labour has collapsed

An exclusive JC poll a year ago showed Jewish support for Labour had collapsed after months of stories about Jew-hatred in the party and Mr Corbyn’s association with Holocaust deniers, terrorists and antisemites.

At that time, 8.5 per cent of British Jews said they would vote Labour in an election. The poll put Jewish support for the Conservatives at 66.5 per cent, with the Liberal Democrats on 3.8 per cent and Ukip on 1.9 per cent.

Among other Jewish MPs outlining their intentions, Conservatives Andrew Percy, Jonathan Djanogly, Robert Halfon, Michael Fabricant, Richard Harrington, Julian Lewis, Michael Ellis, and Lucy Frazer all said they intended to defend their seats.

Sir Oliver Letwin, MP for West Dorset, had planned to retire from the Commons in 2020, but said he would stand in June.

Julian Huppert, the Lib Dem who lost his Cambridge seat two years ago by 599 votes to Labour, will stand again.

John Bercow denied rumours he might retire and said he would also seek a return as Speaker of the Commons.

Members of LFPME

129 MPs

Diane Abbott MP Hackney North

Debbie Abrahams MP Oldham East and Saddleworth

Heidi Alexander MP Lewisham East

Rushanara Ali MP Bethnal Green

Jonathan Ashworth MP Leicester South

Clive Betts MP Sheffield, Attercliffe

Roberta Blackman-Woods MP City of Durham

Paul Blomfield MP Sheffield Central

Lyn Brown MP West Ham

Chris Bryant MP Rhondda

Karen Buck MP Regent’s Park and Kensington North

Richard Burden MP Birmingham, Northfield

Richard Burgon MP Leeds East

Andy Burnham MP Leigh

Dawn Butler MP Brent Central

Liam Byrne MP Birmingham Hodge Hill 16

Ruth Cadbury MP Brentford and Isleworth

Ronnie Campbell MP Blyth Valley

Sarah Champion MP Rotherham

Vernon Coaker MP Gedling

Julie Cooper MP Burnley

Jeremy Corbyn MP Islington North

Neil Coyle MP Bermondsey and Old Southwark

David Crausby MP Bolton East

Alex Cunningham MP Stockton North

Simon Danczuk MP Rochdale

Thangam Debbonaire MP Bristol South

Stephen Doughty Cardiff South and Penarth

Jim Dowd MP Lewisham West

Peter Dowd MP Bootle

Jack Dromey MP Birmingham Erdington31

Angela Eagle MP Wallasey

Clive Efford MP Eltham

Julie Elliott MP Sunderland Central

Bill Esterson MP Sefton Central

Jim Fitzpatrick MP Poplar and Canning Town

Colleen Fletcher MP Coventry NE

Paul Flynn MP Newport West

Vicky Foxcroft MP Lewisham Deptford

Mike Gapes MP Ilford South

Mary Glindon MP North Tyneside

Roger Godsiff MP Birmingham Sparkbrook & Small Heath

Lilian Greenwood MP Nottingham South

Nia Griffith MP Llanelli

Sharon Hodgson MP Gateshead East and Washington West

Louise Haigh MP Sheffield Heeley

Harry Harpham MP Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough

Caroline Harris MP Swansea East

Kate Hollern MP Blackburn

Kelvin Hopkins MP Luton North

George Howarth MP Knowsley North and Sefton East

Imran Hussain MP Bradford East

Rupa Huq MP Ealing Central and Acton52

Diana Johnson MP Kingston upon Hull North

Gerald Jones MP Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney

Gerald Kaufman

Sadiq Khan MP Tooting

Stephen Kinnock MP Aberavon

Ian Lavery MP Wansbeck

Chris Leslie MP Nottingham East

Clive Lewis MP Norwich South

Rebecca Long-Bailey MP Salford and Eccles

Ian Lucas MP Wrexham

Holly Lynch MP Halifax

Fiona Mactaggart MP Slough

Shabana Mahmood MP Birmingham, Ladywood

Rob Marrris MP Wolverhampton SW

Rachael Maskell MP York Central

Chris Matheson MP City of Chester

Kerry McCarthy MP Bristol East

Andy Mcdonald MP Middlesbrough

John McDonnell MP Hayes and Harlington

Liz McInnes MP Heywood & Middleton

Michael Meacher MP Oldham West and Royton

Conor McGinn MP St. Helens North

Madeline Moon MP Bridgend

Grahame Morris MP Easington

Ian Murray MP Edinburgh South

Lisa Nandy MP Wigan

Melanie Onn MP Great Grimsby

Kate Osamor MP Edmonton

Albert Owen MP Ynys Mon 79

Matthew Pennycook MP Greenwich

Teresa Pearce MP Erith & Thamesmead

Toby Perkins MP Chesterfield

Jess Phillips MP Birmingham Yardley

Bridget Phillipson MP Houghton & Sunderland South

Steve Pound MP Ealing North

Yasmin Qureshi MP Bolton South East

Angela Rayner MP Ashton-under-Lyme

Jamie Reed MP Copeland

Christina Rees MP Neath

Emma Reynolds MP Wolverhampton North East

Marie Rimmer MP St. Helens South and Whiston

Steve Rotherham MP Liverpool Walton

Geoffrey Robinson MP Coventry NE93

Andy Sawford MP Corby

Naz Shah MP Bradford West

Virendra Sharma MP Ealing Southall

Barry Sheerman MP Huddersfield

Paula Sheriff MP Dewsbury

Gavin Shuker MP Luton South

Tulip Siddiq MP Hampstead and Kilburn

Denis Skinner MP Bolsover

Andrew Slaughter MP Hammersmith

Nick Smith MP Blaenau Gwent

Cat Smith MP Lancaster and Fleetwood

Owen Smith MP Pontypridd

Keir Starmer MP Holborn and St Pancras

Jo Stevens MP Cardiff Central

Wes Streeting MP Ilford North

Graham Stringer MP Blackley and & Broughton

Gisela Stuart MP Birmingham Edgbaston

Mark Tami MP Alyn & Deeside

Gareth Thomas MP Harrow West

Nick Thomas-Symonds MP Torfaen

Emily Thornberry MP Islington South and Finsbury

Stephen Timms MP East Ham

John Trickett MP Hemsworth

Karl Turner MP Kingston upon Hull East

Derek Twigg MP Halton

Stephen Twigg MP Liverpool West Derby

Chuka Umunna MP Streatham

Keith Vaz MP Leicester East

Valerie Vaz MP Walsall South

Tom Watson MP West Bromwich East

Catherine West MP Hornsey and Wood Green

Alan Whitehead MP Southampton, Test

Phil Wilson MP Sedgefield

David Winnick MP Walsall North

Rosie Winterton MP Doncaster Central

Iain Wright MP Hartlepool

Daniel Zeichner MP Cambridge

LFI

75 MPs