Sam Tarry was fired from his role as shadow transport minister
(Picture: UK Parliament)Labour MP Sam Tarry, a former senior trade union official who helped with Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership campaign, has been de-selected in his east London constituency - the first time in more than 10 years that a party member has been removed in this manner.
The decision came after local branches voted in favour of a re-selection process in which Tarry lost by 499 votes to 361.
It means Tarry will not be able to fight for the seat as the Labour candidate at the next general election, with local representatives electing the leader of Redbridge Council Jas Athwal to take his place.
In a statement made today, Tarry revealed he’s “crestfallen” and “extremely concerned” by the result.
He said: “I am utterly crestfallen by the result in the Ilford South selection last night. Not for myself, but for the good people of Ilford who deserve better than to have been at the centre of a manufactured political circus.
“I am extremely concerned about the result, which does not reflect the feeling my campaigners met on the ground, talking day in, day out to members, or the extensive meticulous data we gathered on the campaign,” he added.
Tarry made headlines earlier this year after he was sacked from Labour’s frontbench as a shadow transport minister, for broadcasting TV interviews from a picket during the rail strikes.
Labour leader Keir Starmer had warned frontbench MPs to stay away.
Tarry, who is in a relationship with Angela Rayner, the deputy leader of the Labour Party, said he had been standing “in solidarity with striking workers”.
So who is Sam Tarry, the de-selected Labour MP?
Who is Sam Tarry?
Samuel Tarry, 40, is the Labour MP for Ilford South and has been an MP since December 2019.
He was the shadow minister for transport until he was fired by Keir Starmer on July 27, and was a former official for the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) union.
The MP married paediatrician Julia Fozard in 2016 and they have two children together. It is unclear when they separated.
Tarry is in a relationship with deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner, 42, who split from her husband in 2020.
The couple have not commented on how long they have been in a relationship but they were spotted together earlier this year.
Tarry and Rayner worked together on Rayner’s campaign to “transform the culture and practices of the Labour Party for the better” where he worked alongside the party chair as parliamentary lead (campaigns and organisation).
In 2020, he worked with Ed Miliband as a parliamentary private secretary for his brief as shadow secretary of state for business, energy, and industrial strategy.
When Tarry was appointed shadow minister for transport, he said: “I’m delighted to have been promoted to the role of shadow transport minister.
“There are enormous challenges facing the industry as a result of the Covid pandemic – as we’ve witnessed most recently with the bailout of Transport for London – and the government must continue to protect the jobs of all those in the industry until we’ve recovered from this crisis.”
Why was Sam Tarry fired as shadow transport minister?
Labour said Tarry was fired for unauthorised media appearances, rather than solely for joining the picket line.
In a statement, the Labour Party said: “This isn’t about appearing on a picket line. Members of the front bench sign up to collective responsibility. That includes media appearances being approved and speaking to agreed front-bench 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 front bench.”
In response to being fired, Tarry said in a statement: “It has been a privilege to serve on Labour’s front bench for the past two years and to have had the opportunity to speak up for hard-pressed workers who deserve so much better than the treatment they’ve received from this corrupt and out-of-touch Government.
“I remain committed to supporting the striking rail workers, and campaigning for a Labour victory at the next General Election, which I will fight for relentlessly from the backbenches.”
