Chris Williamson is a politician whose career has taken him from Blairite council leader who once briefly formed a coalition with the Tories, to Labour’s most controversial MP – too outspoken even to serve under Jeremy Corbyn.

In between, during his first spell as MP for Derby North, he was briefly a low-profile Ed Miliband loyalist. But those who have known him for years say Williamson changed dramatically after he unexpectedly lost his seat by 41 votes in 2015.

In this parliament he has rapidly become Labour’s most divisive MP, particularly after he resigned as fire spokesman in January 2018 after making the relatively mild suggestion that council tax bills for the highest value homes should be doubled.

Labour suspends Chris Williamson over antisemitism remarks Read more

In quitting that post, Williamson pledged he would campaign on “a broad range of issues” while supporting Corbyn. But as one Labour MP observed: “He might have started as an outrider, but I think he’s gone further than the leadership thought he would.”

When Labour became embroiled in a toxic series of rows over antisemitism during 2018, Williamson repeatedly shared platforms and spoke in defence of members expelled or under investigation over accusations of anti-Jewish hatred.

Williamson tweeted in defence of Ken Livingstone after he was forced to resign for repeatedly saying Zionists had collaborated with Hitler, describing the former London mayor as a “towering figure” who fought “all forms of racism”.

The controversial MP has campaigned for the reinstatement of Marc Wadsworth, who was expelled for abusing Jewish Labour MP Ruth Smeeth at a public event, saying that decision “offends natural justice”.

In the summer, Williamson continued to support Pete Willsman in his attempt to get elected onto Labour’s national executive committee, even though he was dropped from Momentum’s slate after he had been recorded saying that Jewish “Trump fanatics” were making false claims of antisemitism in the party. Willsman was elected anyway.

The Derby North MP is a relatively isolated figure in the Parliamentary Labour party (PLP), and when he speaks – often in raised tones – it is not uncommon for him to be heckled by colleagues at internal meetings, when others are listened to politely.

At this week’s PLP meeting in Westminster, Williamson called for party unity during discussions about a second referendum and antisemitism. His voice was so loud that it could easily be heard in the corridor outside; one high-profile MP walked out saying: “I can’t listen to him any more.”

Many Labour MPs have complained at the way Williamson travelled around the country encouraging members to deselect them on his “democracy” roadshow, a series of events in over 20 towns and cities ranging from Redcar to Portsmouth – and Streatham, where Labour defector Chuka Umunna is the sitting MP.

The now-suspended Labour MP said that the roadshow events were nothing for colleagues in his party to worry about. He told the Morning Star: “Enabling members to decide who their candidates should be before each general election is commonplace in other democracies around the world.”

First publicised in a video, which features him gingerly riding a Harley Davidson to the sound of Born to be Wild, the voiceover from the 62-year-old adds: “Sadly empowering some of our members is portrayed by some people as a scary thing.”

So pleased was Williamson when it emerged that Labour MPs were defecting to create the Independent Group last week, that he sang Celebration by Kool & the Gang repeatedly. As he told his audience in Sheffield: “I was singing that all day in my office full blast, and my office, by the way, is right opposite Joan Ryan’s [another defector]”.

Some in Labour even believed that Williamson’s trips around the country, and his unambiguous positioning on the left, were an attempt to position himself for a future run at the party’s leadership.

Significantly, during the incident that prompted Williamson’s suspension – his claim at a meeting of Sheffield Momentum that Labour had been “too apologetic” about antisemitism – he appears to have been loudly applauded by those present.

Play Video 0:41 Chris Williamson says Labour has been 'too apologetic' about antisemitism – video

Ironically, others in the Derby party membership are considering whether to try to deselect him – by taking advantage of processes Williamson himself has encouraged party activists to use. “The question is whether we make a move, or wait to see if he blows himself up,” said one local activist.

Four years ago, Williamson’s political career seemed all but over after his unexpected defeat in 2015 left him jobless for the first time in his adult life. He had been a bricklayer and an adult social worker before turning to politics.

He was a councillor in Derby during the last decade, leading the council twice, and was remembered in local politics for embracing the private finance initiative to help deliver council services, as well as the Tory deal.

Williamson won the Labour nomination in the marginal seat of Derby North before the 2010 election, seeing off a union-backed candidate who had the support of the left. He was a keen backer of Ed Miliband and served as shadow fire minister between 2010 and 2013, although was frustrated when he lost his job in a reshuffle.

After losing his Derby North seat to the Conservatives, Williamson backed Corbyn in the 2015 leadership election. However, an attempt to become Derbyshire’s police and crime commissioner failed when he came third in an internal selection battle involving three candidates.

Theresa May’s snap election in 2017 brought him back to Westminster, however: 2015 candidates who wanted to stand again were able to do so if they were approved by a three-strong NEC panel.

That simplified an otherwise uncertain reselection process, and Williamson was re-elected to Westminster by 2,015 votes – one of 36 gains made by Labour that night.

However, Derby North remains a highly marginal seat, a point that was underscored when Labour lost control of Derby city council last May.