Labour Reshuffle: Pat McFadden, Shadow Europe Minister, Sacked By Jeremy Corbyn Over 'Disloyal' Paris Terror Attack Comments

Shadow Europe Minister Pat McFadden Sacked By Corbyn Over Paris Attacks 'Disloyalty'
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Shadow Europe Minister Pat McFadden during the Newry Mourne and Down District Council hosted Brexit - The Big Debate on the implications of a UK exit from the EU at the Canal Court Hotel in Newry, Northern Ireland.
Niall Carson/PA Wire

Pat McFadden has been sacked as shadow Europe minister - the second high-profile Labour MP removed from Jeremy Corbyn's top team for questioning the leader.

The MP has been forced out of the Shadow Cabinet over "disloyalty" to leader Jeremy Corbyn, and follows the sacking earlier in the day of Shadow Culture Secretary Michael Dugher.

In a highly unusual move, Labour sources made clear Mr McFadden was dumped for his cutting comments directed at Mr Corbyn in the aftermath of the Paris terror attacks.

Meanwhile, Emily Thornberry was appointed new Shadow Defence Secretary as the "revenge reshuffle" was completed.

The London MP replaces Angela Eagle, who moves to Culture, and opposes the renewal of the Trident nuclear weapons system, unlike her successor.

The move will have huge ramifications for Labour's Trident review, which will now be led by Ms Thornberry and former London mayor, who is also avowedly opposed to nuclear weapons.

After the atrocity in France, some Labour MPs attacked Mr Corbyn's refusal to distance himself from the Stop the War Coalition after it published a blog post saying Paris had “reaped the whirlwind of western support for extremist violence in the Middle East”.

During Prime Minister's Questions, Mr McFadden said blaming the West risked "infantilising the terrorists" and "treating them as children".

His full comments were:

"Can I ask the Prime Minister to reject the view that sees terrorist acts as always being a response or a reaction to what we in the West do? Does he agree with me that such an approach risks infantilising the terrorists and treating them as children when the truth is they are adults entirely responsible for what they do?”

Mr McFadden will be replaced by Pat Glass, who was the shadow education minister, as the referendum on whether Britain should leave the EU looms.

Some Labour MPs, as with Mr Dugher, reacted with anger - calling the party leadership a "shower" and being guilty of "intolerance", and calling the decision "vindictive and stupid".

Some 10 members of the Shadow Cabinet voted for RAF airstrikes in Syria, which is said to be fuelling the Labour leader’s re-arrangement of his top team.

Mr McFadden tonight acknowledged the point forwarded at PMQs was the reason for his demise.

Mr Dugher took to Twitter yesterday morning, straight after a getting a phone call from Mr Corbyn, to announce he had been "sacked" - then added it was because Mr Corbyn “didn’t like things I’d been writing (in defence of good colleagues and new politics)”.

The new line-up is:

Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party

Jeremy Corbyn

Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, Party Chair and Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office

Tom Watson

Shadow First Secretary of State, Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills

Angela Eagle

Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer

John McDonnell

Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury

Seema Malhotra

Shadow Home Secretary

Andy Burnham

Shadow Foreign Secretary

Hilary Benn

Opposition Chief Whip

Rosie Winterton

Shadow Secretary of State for Health

Heidi Alexander

Shadow Secretary of State for Education

Lucy Powell

Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

Owen Smith

Shadow Secretary of State for Defence

Emily Thornberry

Shadow Lord Chancellor, Shadow Secretary of State for Justice

Lord Falconer of Thoroton

Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, ShadowMinister for the Constitutional Convention

Jon Trickett

Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change

Lisa Nandy

Shadow Leader of the House of Commons

Chris Bryant

Shadow Secretary of State for Transport

Lilian Greenwood

Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

Vernon Coaker

Shadow Secretary of State for International Development

Diane Abbott

Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland

Ian Murray

Shadow Secretary of State for Wales

Nia Griffith

Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Kerry McCarthy

Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities

Kate Green

Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

Maria Eagle

Shadow Minister for Young People and Voter Registration

Gloria De Piero

Shadow Minister for Mental Health

Luciana Berger

Shadow Leader of the House of Lords

Baroness Smith of Basildon

Lords Chief Whip

Lord Bassam of Brighton

Shadow Attorney General

Catherine McKinnell

Shadow Minister without Portfolio

Jonathan Ashworth

Shadow Minister for Housing and Planning

John Healey