MP who quit shadow cabinet over Brexit bill three-line whip says talk he could try for Labour’s top job are ‘fantasy politics’

Clive Lewis has dismissed speculation that he is to challenge Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader after resigning from the shadow cabinet over the Brexit bill.

Lewis, seen as a rising star on the left of the party with broader appeal than Corbyn, quit as shadow business secretary after voting against triggering article 50 on Wednesday night, in contravention of a three-line whip.

His resignation prompted speculation he could be considering a tilt at the leadership. But, in an interview with his local paper, the Norwich South MP issued an emphatic denial.

“You can quote me on this. It is total bollocks,” he told the Eastern Daily Press. Any talk suggesting he was preparing to challenge Corbyn was part of a “game of fantasy politics in Westminster”, he added, and “nothing could be further from my mind”.

Lewis was one of 52 Labour MPs who defied the whip to vote against the bill authorising the government to trigger the formal process for exiting the EU.

He became the fourth shadow cabinet member to resign rather than vote in favour, saying: “When I became the MP for Norwich South, I promised my constituents I would be Norwich’s voice in Westminster, not Westminster’s voice in Norwich.”

His constituency voted strongly to remain in the EU, and Lewis said he could not vote for something he believes will harm the city.

Lewis was only elected to parliament in 2015 but has already served as shadow defence secretary and shadow business secretary, albeit in a shadow cabinet that has been in a state of flux since Corbyn was elected as leader, largely owing to resignations.

He told his local paper: “I have been in parliament for just over two years. I still have a lot to learn, my plan consists of getting back into a backbench routine, working hard for my constituents and helping my party hold the government to account.”

On Friday, it emerged that Corbyn had let off the 10 frontbenchers and three party whips who defied the party line and voted against Brexit with a written warning.

The scale of the rebellion and Corbyn’s handling of it have raised further questions about his leadership, but Lewis was supportive.

“If we hadn’t whipped, it would have meant that myself and others could have kept our places on the shadow cabinet,” he said. “But not whipping would have come with its own problems. There was no easy answer. To be honest, I think the party had to make a stand on this one way or another. It was a no-win scenario. I think Jeremy has shown leadership on this.”

Lewis voted for the Brexit bill at its second reading last week but made it clear that if Labour failed to amend the legislation he could not do so again. He faced some criticism from colleagues over what they termed his “flip flopping” about whether he could back the bill.