John Mann resigns as MP to take up antisemitism adviser role in the Lords

The resignation of senior Labour backbencher and critic of Jeremy Corbyn, John Mann, has been officially granted.

The peer is to take a place in the House of Lords and become an adviser on antisemitism for the Government after 18 years in the House of Commons.

Lord Mann has been a prominent critic of Jeremy Corbyn, largely over the Labour leader’s handling of antisemitism in the party.

The peer, who was nominated in Theresa May’s resignation honours list, is now tasked with providing independent advice to ministers on how to tackle anti-Jewish prejudice.

He has chaired the all-party parliamentary group on antisemitism, having first been elected as an MP in 2001.

His appointment as Steward and Bailiff of the Three Hundreds of Chiltern – the archaic process that effectively resigns an MP – was made on Monday.

This rendered Lord Mann unable to vote in the Prime Minister’s later bid for an early general election.

Former Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks tweeted: “It will be an honour to be one of the members to introduce Lord Mann into the House of Lords later today. Thank you for all you have done and all you will continue to do on behalf of us all.”

A by-election could be triggered in his Nottinghamshire constituency of Bassetlaw, but is dependent on whether an early general election is approved by MPs.

“The Chancellor of the Exchequer has this day appointed John Mann to be Steward and Bailiff of the Three Hundreds of Chiltern,” a Treasury statement said.

The House of Lords said he has been appointed to the upper House where he is to sit as an independent but he is yet to be officially appointed. That move is expected on Tuesday.

Lord Mann was one of four Labour MPs who supported Mr Johnson’s Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB) at second reading as well as the hasty Brexit timetable.