Jess Phillips, the Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley, has resigned from her role as shadow domestic abuse and safeguarding minister after voting in favour of a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict, defying the party whip.
Phillips was among 56 Labour MPs, including eight shadow cabinet members, who supported an amendment to the King's Speech brought by the Scottish National Party on Wednesday night. In her resignation letter, she said it was with a 'heavy heart' that she left the frontbench, but she felt compelled to vote with her constituents and her conscience.
'I can see no route where the current military action does anything but put at risk the hope of peace and security for anyone in the region now and in the future,' Phillips wrote. She described the past four weeks as 'one of the toughest weeks in politics' since she entered Parliament.
Despite stepping down, Phillips expressed pride in her work with Yvette Cooper on Labour's mission to halve domestic abuse incidents within 10 years of a Labour government. She vowed to continue supporting the party from the backbenches and working on women's safety.
Her resignation is the most high-profile departure from Labour's frontbench over leader Keir Starmer's stance on Gaza, highlighting internal divisions within the party on the issue.
