Clive Lewis: Who is the Labour rebel?

Labour MP Clive Lewis's decision to resign from the shadow cabinet and vote against Article 50 has increased speculation that he is to challenge Jeremy Corbyn for the party leadership.

The former shadow business secretary said he was stepping down "with a heavy heart", but had to put his constituency first.

"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'," he said.

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"I therefore cannot, in all good conscience, vote for something I believe will ultimately harm the city I have the honour to represent, love and call home."

He also sent a thank-you tweet to supporters in which he referenced Star Trek's Kobayashi Maru test, in which young space cadets are given a no-win scenario in order to test their strength of character, reports The Guardian.

Lewis, who was born in London and grew up on a council estate in Northampton, started out as a journalist for BBC Look East before joining the Territorial Army Reserves in 2006 and completing a three-month tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2009 as an infantry officer in 7 Rifles.

He only entered the House of Commons in 2015, but "has not been a stranger to controversy in his short political career to date", says the Daily Telegraph.

That started shortly after his election victory, when Lewis criticised his former employer the BBC by saying ethnic minorities were not given the same opportunities.

He said: "While I'm extremely grateful to the BBC for the chances it did give me, I, like many other black and ethnic minority employees of 'Auntie', know there is a glass ceiling at the BBC."

The BBC disputed his claims, saying there was no truth in any suggestion the politician had not been appointed to a role because of racial discrimination.

The following year, Lewis also reportedly clashed with Corbyn's leadership team over his speech at the party conference, when he spoke about the UK's Trident submarines.

In the original address, the then shadow defence secretary was to say he "would not seek to change" his party's policy of backing renewal of Trident, but instead he said it was "clear that our party has a policy for Trident renewal".

A senior Labour source claimed Lewis "punched a wall when he came off the stage" because "Seumas [Milne, Corbyn's communications chief] altered his speech on the autocue", reported PoliticsHome.

Lewis's anti-Brexit credentials have improved his standing among those who would like to see him replace Corbyn – although he told Politics.co.uk late last year that the leadership was a job "he's not interested in, doesn't want and is not experienced enough for".

His reported lack of decisiveness over the Article 50 bill may also count against him, with The Guardian reporting: "MPs were being quite disparaging about what some called his 'flip flopping' in recent days about whether he could back the bill."

The New Statesman's Stephen Bush believes Lewis resigned not in order to challenge the Labour leadership, but in fact to hold on to his staunchly pro-Remain seat.

"Lewis has traded his seat in the shadow cabinet for the affections of the party's activists and, more importantly, has blunted a Liberal Democrat revival in his own seat of Norwich South," he said.