Neil Duncan-Jordan, who has been the MP for Poole since the general election in the summer of 2024, has been suspended following his decision to vote against the Welfare Reform Bill put forward by the Labour Party under Keir Starmer. He joins three others, Brian Leishman, Chris Hinchliff and Rachael Maskell, who have all had the party whip removed, meaning the MPs will sit as independents in the House of Commons.
Dorset Eye approached Neil for a comment, and he stated:
‘Since being elected I have consistently spoken up for my constituents on a range of issues, including most recently on cuts to disability benefits. I understood this could come at a cost, but I couldn’t support making disabled people poorer. Although I’ve been suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party today, I’ve been part of the Labour and trade union movement for 40 years and remain as committed as ever to its values. To my constituents: it’s business as usual. I remain your hardworking local MP; I will continue to take up your concerns and speak up for Poole.‘
Neil has consistently put his constituents front and centre while the Labour Party has sought to betray those who elected them in a landslide last year.
To make your own mind up about Neil check out his voting record since being elected.
An interview with Neil back in January:
With the formation of a much more radical party in progress to challenge the disappointment of the Labour Party, it will be interesting to see if Neil and others will abandon what is effectively a Tory Party in drag and create something much more wholesome. Something that will actually deliver for the British people and not merely pay lip service while remaining in hock to the establishment. Unlike Labour, the Tories and Reform UK, who are all cemented into the agenda of the wealthy and powerful, the country is desperate for a party that represents the needs of the many, not the few.
Time, as ever, will tell.
