Following the UK’s vote to leave the European Union on Friday (24 June), McCarthy – who is MP for Bristol East – wrote to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn saying she believed “a new leader was needed” to tackle future challenges.
“Although I do not doubt your personnel commitment to your long-held principles, I believe that a new leader is needed to take on the challenges ahead: steering our way through the very difficult period facing this country; exerting a decisive influence on post-referendum negotiations; and winning broad-based electoral support,” she wrote.
“I am therefore resigning from the shadow cabinet today.”
McCarthy is one of many to have resigned following Friday’s vote. Labour lost 12 of its shadow cabinet on Sunday (26 June), and then a further five shadow ministers on Monday (27 June).
According to the BBC, the mass resignations were triggered by the sacking of shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn, after he told Corbyn he had lost confidence in him.
Maskell was elected as the Member of Parliament for York Central in 2015, having previously worked for the NHS for a number of years. Prior to her appointment as environment secretary, she was shadow defence minister.