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Hull Labour members 'appalled' at MP Diana Johnson's abstention on NHS privatisation
Hull North MP Diana Johnson

This story has been amended in light of tweets sent by Ms Johnson following publication.

HULL Labour supporters are “appalled” after triggered local MP Diana Johnson failed to vote to rule out the privatisation of the NHS in any future trade deals with Donald Trump.

The Hull North MP was not present in Parliament on a Queen’s Speech amendment on Wednesday night that would have forced the government to keep the NHS off the table in post-Brexit US trade negotiations.

The vast majority of Labour MPs voted for the amendment. Ms Johnson obtained permission to be in her constituency due to reselection meetings that night, with Labour’s chief whip Nick Brown pairing her with a Conservative MP so the vote was not affected.

In 2015, Ms Johnson attracted criticism for abstaining on the Tory Welfare Reform and Work Bill, which cut welfare benefits, child tax credits and abolished legally binding targets to alleviate child poverty.

This is despite 48 Labour MPs voting against the Bill.

After being appointed as a shadow frontbencher in Mr Corbyn’s 2015 cabinet, she supported the summer 2016 coup against him and backed Owen Smith’s leadership campaign.

It is thought her voting record is what prompted local party branches to trigger a reselection contest in September.

A local party figure from the “moderate” wing of Hull Labour told the Morning Star: “My partner and myself are far from the usual Momentum types but we’re just appalled by it.

“It doesn’t exactly scream commitment to the NHS, does it?  I’ve always tried to see the best in [Ms Johnson], but this makes me wonder if she even cares about things that matter to the rest of us here.

“This isn’t a one off either, and I really am doubting whether I still want her as our Labour candidate.”

Ms Johnson’s office did not respond to requests for comment before publication. This story has been amended in light of tweets sent by Ms Johnson following publication.

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