A KENT MP says threats by party grandees aimed at preventing him standing as an official candidate at the next election would not affect the way he votes.

Bob Marshall-Andrews, MP for Medway, was responding to a Sunday Mirror story which claimed that he was among 30 or 40 rebel MPs who will be hauled before special Labour Party hearings for defying the Government over issues like Iraq, tuition fees and foundation hospitals.

According to the newspaper, the rebels will have to explain why they should be allowed to stand again.

But Mr Marshall-Andrews said: "I think it would be very ill-advised of the Labour Party establishment to take action against people who are doing nothing more than expressing the views of the majority of party members.

"I vote according to my conscience. Usually that is with the Government because I believe that in general they are doing a good job.

"Occasionally they get it wrong and on those occasions I vote against them."

He said he anticipated that he would vote against the Government again if it went ahead with a bill that would remove the right to trial by jury, for some defendants.