That Starmer fella...

Tory by another name innit?

Bit of a case of headline-itis, that.

Tarry wasn't sacked for appearing on a picket line. At least five of the shad cab have done so and have kept their jobs.

Tarry was sacked for:

• promoting himself to shadow secretary of state for transport (he isn't)
  
• making an unauthorised round of publicity for personal reasons
  
• making up policy on the fly - in this case saying that Labour supported the RMT's demands for above inflation pay rises when the actual shad cab position is that we would support anything the RTM would accept
  
  

Even though I wasn't a big Corbyn fan I always defended him when the media misrepresented him. Starmer's being misrepresented here. Here's how Labour announced it:

"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 frontbench 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 frontbench."

This is an eminently sensible position.