Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer sacks frontbencher Sam Tarry after he defies rail strike picket line ban

Labour has sacked shadow frontbencher Sam Tarry after he defied Sir Keir Starmer’s ban on joining picket lines in support of striking rail workers.

The party said Tarry, the shadow transport minister, had been “removed from the frontbench”, saying it took seriously “any breach of collective responsibility”.

A Labour spokesperson said: “The Labour Party will always stand up for working people fighting for better pay, terms and conditions at work.

“This isn’t about appearing on a picket line.

“Members of the frontbench sign up to collective responsibility.

“That includes media appearances being approved and speaking to agreed frontbench positions.

“As a government-in-waiting, any breach of collective responsibility is taken extremely seriously and for these reasons Sam Tarry has been removed from the frontbench.”

Tarry stood alongside striking workers at London’s Euston station on Wednesday morning.

He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “If we don’t make a stand today, people’s lives could be lost.

“Some of the lowest-paid workers are on strike today in the rail industry, safety-critical workers, workers who make sure our railways get people to work and do so safely.”

Asked whether he expected to be sacked by Starmer, Tarry said: “I’ve no idea what Keir will decide to do but I know this, if Keir was in government right now, this dispute wouldn’t be happening.

“I have absolutely 100% confidence that any Labour Party MP would be in support of striking workers who have given up a day’s pay, a week’s pay or even longer.”