PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
SACKING OF ANDY McSMITH FROM DAILY MIRROR (25 April 1993)

That this House deplores the sacking of Daily Mirror political correspondence Andy McSmith; notes that this is the first known case of the sacking of a Daily Mirror political writer for no other reason than his close and long standing involvement in the Labour Party, that it follows the forced departure from the Mirror of its political editor, Alastair Campbell, and its leading investigative journalist, Paul Foot, and many more of the best known Mirror journalists, that, since the departure of Paul Foot, the Mirror has sacked Bryan Rostron, a staff member for nine years who worked on the Paul Foot page, and is in the process of sacking their colleague, Margaret Renn, who recently took over as Mother of the NUJ chapel, after the forced departure of the Father of Chapel, Trevor Davies, that the list of those sacked by the present management includes the former industrial editor, Terry Pattinson, leader writer, David Thompson, and many other journalists and print workers; considers that the banks who have become the owners of Mirror Group Newspapers through their business dealings with the late Robert Maxwell recognise that the Daily Mirror and other papers in the group have been valuable assets because of their appeal as popular, campaigning, Labour-supporting newspapers; and beleives that this commercial and political advantage is being squandered by the present management and is in danger of being lost forever.

Sponsored by:
Mr Alan Milburn (Labour)