Labour party

Keith Vaz finally steps aside

Keith Vaz has finally stepped down as chairman of the Home Affairs select committee following allegations surrounding a pair of male prostitutes. In a statement (which was published on Twitter ahead of an embargo), Vaz had this to say: It is in the best interest of the Home Affairs Select Committee that its important work can be conducted without any distractions whatsoever. I am genuinely sorry that recent events make it impossible for this to happen if I remain chair. The integrity of the select committee system matters to me. Those who hold others to account must themselves be accountable. That Vaz has bowed to pressure might not seem a

Steerpike

Coming soon: Sinn Féin at Labour conference on the ‘cost of Ireland’s partition’

Throughout Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of the Labour party, his links to Sinn Féin have been called into question by his critics. As Mr S’s colleague Douglas Murray has previously reported, Corbyn was chumming up to the Irish republican party even while their military wing was blowing up ordinary pub-goers, shooting farmers in the head and planting bombs in Britain’s shopping centres. So while times have changed, Mr S was curious to learn of a fringe event taking place at Labour conference in Liverpool. Steerpike understands that Sinn Féin will host a talk titled ‘Brexit: the cost of Ireland’s Partition’. For this, Sinn Féin’s vice president Mary Lou McDonald, Dave Anderson — the

Letters | 1 September 2016

Against Boris Sir: In discussing my attitude to Boris (‘The Boris-bashers should be ashamed’, 27 August), Mary Wakefield is too kind — to Boris. She claims that I am agin him because he has no plan and no philosophy. Not so: my criticisms are nearer those of the Oxford contemporaries whom she cites and who described Boris as a ‘sociopath’. He is a charismatic narcissist in a long tradition stretching back to Alcibiades. Such characters have no moral, intellectual or political integrity, but have a sublime confidence in their ability to charm themselves out of every embarrassment. Mary goes on to claim that David Cameron had no plan either, and surrounded himself

Is the worst nightmare of Corbyn’s opponents about to come true?

Could Jeremy Corbyn come out of the Labour leadership contest with an even bigger mandate? Few would be surprised and a new poll on the front page of the Times today suggests that such an outcome is highly likely. The YouGov survey indicates Corbyn is beating his rival Owen Smith by 62 per cent to 38 per cent amongst Labour voters – a result which would gift him a three per cent spike on last year’s vote, when he won 59.5 per cent. This would spell disaster for those challenging Corbyn and make it almost certain that the Labour leader would still be in place come a 2020 general election.

Steerpike

How to reselect your MP – a handy guide for Corbynistas

Once upon a time Jeremy Corbyn said that he would not bring back Labour’s mandatory reselection of the Eighties if elected leader. However, it seems that the recent Labour coup has caused him to have a change of heart. Just last month, Corbyn refused to rule out Labour MPs facing mandatory reselection battles before being allowed to stand. So, it’s rather handy timing that a Corbynista has only just gone and published a guide on ‘How to Select or Reselect Your MP’: ‘If you are reading this, chances are either you are not entirely happy with your Westminster representative’s performance, or you know or suspect that your Constituency Labour Party will need to choose a new

Owen Smith flounders in Brexit attack on Corbyn

Owen Smith desperately needs to make up ground in Labour’s leadership contest (bookies’ odds, perhaps more reliable than the polls, suggest Corbyn has an 84 per cent chance of winning next month). What’s more, with voting soon drawing to a close, he has less and less time to do so. Which all explains why last night’s leadership hustings in Glasgow was much more bitter than any of the others which came before it. The main topic of contention yesterday? The referendum – something which Smith is trying eagerly to make his own cause and his reason for being. Earlier this week, he said he wanted to block Brexit – a strategy which

Labour’s security shambles takes a turn for the worse

It’s exactly one month until Labour conference and the party’s security shambles just got a whole lot worse. After the NEC voted to boycott G4S, the only firm willing to do the job were Showsec, a non-unionised security firm. This option was deemed unsatisfactory and so the party have had to go ‘cap in hand’ to G4S. Alas, the Telegraph reports that the firm rejected Labour’s offer over concerns about ‘staff safety’. So, will the conference be cancelled? There is another option. The party could ask the police for extra security. However, this would cost them as where security workers for Showsec cost around £9 per hour, a PC comes to £59.65

Isabel Hardman

Frankenstein’s Westmonster

All political parties are a mess: coalitions of people with different beliefs, stitched together — like Frankenstein’s monster — into a body that can grunt coherently, and perhaps even achieve something. Most of the time, these bodies lumber about reasonably effectively, if a little clumsily. But every so often, as now, when the political system is in turmoil, the suturing starts to bulge and everything seems at risk of coming apart. Such is the case with the Labour party which may soon be torn asunder — or give way to a new grouping called the Co-operative party. There’s a certain degree of logic to this. If Jeremy Corbyn has captured

Why you shouldn’t vote for Jeremy Corbyn

What follows is an appeal to Jeremy Corbyn supporters to think again. It’s from Chris, a Labour party member, who does not want to give his full name for fear of abuse. He has compiled a vast, but by no means exhaustive list of the moral and political failings of the Labour leader. He told me: I’ve noticed that a few of my very clever, thoughtful, moderately left-wing friends were pro-Corbyn, which amazed me. What I discovered was that they knew almost no facts about him or his fellow travellers. I then noticed that any given critical article about Corbyn only listed one or two facts about him. Normal, good

Kezia Dugdale backs Owen Smith. Here’s why it won’t help him beat Corbyn

It won’t come as much as a surprise to many that Kezia Dugdale, the Scottish Labour leader, has backed Owen Smith in the party’s leadership contest. In July, Dugdale said that with Jeremy Corbyn in charge Labour faced being wiped out at the ballot box. As if that wasn’t a clear enough indicator of who she would back, today she’s confirmed it. Dugdale had this to say: ‘Owen Smith gets my vote. I believe Owen can unite our party, and move us on from the divisions that exist under the current UK leadership of Jeremy Corbyn.’ The sentiment is clear and Dugdale is one of the highest-profile elected female figures

Labour’s security headache shows no sign of letting up

With just over a month to go until Labour party conference in Liverpool, the party ought to be turning its attention to setting the agenda for the year ahead. Instead, there are doubts over whether the event will even take place. Earlier this month, a leaked memo to Guido revealed that the party was facing a conference crisis. Following a decision to boycott G4S after over 20 years working together, the party had approached five firms but only one – Showsec – was willing to provide security for the event. As Iain McNicol — the general secretary — pointed out, this was an unsatisfactory option as the Liverpool-based firm do

Steerpike

Watch: Jack Dromey’s U-turn over Corbyn

It’s tough being a part of the Labour coup. Even though you’ve plotted behind the party leader’s back and are now supporting a challenger, it’s important to remain on civil terms. That must be why Jack Dromey cut an interview short about the need to replace Jeremy Corbyn to… greet Jeremy Corbyn. I'm interviewing @JackDromeyMP at labour leadership hustings and this happens! @ITVCentral @itvnews pic.twitter.com/7qPcEGXpkb — Alison Mackenzie (@Alison1mackITV) August 18, 2016 The smiling pair enjoyed a friendly chat, with Corbyn welcoming Dromey with open arms. Mr S suspects the Corbynistas may have a point when it comes to today’s politicians lacking integrity.

Tom Goodenough

Corbyn makes a half-hearted pitch to win over Tory voters

Can Jeremy Corbyn reach out to – and win over – Tory voters at a general election? It sounds like an unlikely prospect but that’s exactly what the Labour leader pledged to do in the party’s latest hustings last night. Corbyn said that his aim is to convince people ‘by the policies we put forward…(including) some people who have been tempted to vote Tory’ before. It certainly sounds as if Corbyn himself isn’t wholly convinced by his statement, as many of those hearing it are unlikely to be either. An Ipsos Mori poll recently gave Corbyn a woeful net approval rating of -33, so it’s true he needs to broaden

Letters | 18 August 2016

Losing game Sir: Matt Ridley is completely right (‘Don’t grouse about grouse’, 13 August). I am lucky enough to live at Blakeney in north Norfolk with a clear view to Blakeney Point. But since the RSPB, Chris Packham and the National Trust got their hands on Blakeney, things have changed dramatically. I walk every day on and around the marshes and the Blakeney Freshes. This morning — a brilliant, calm day — I strolled for an hour and apart from a couple of warblers, crows and several black-backed gulls, that was it. When my wife and I came to Blakeney 35 years ago it was markedly different. From our room

It’s not the Trots you need to worry about

How strange it is that an obscure Tsarist prison warder in Odessa is commemorated forever in thousands of tiny, irritable revolutionary sects. But that is who the real Trotsky was, and that is all we know about him. The future leader of the 1917 Petrograd putsch, Lev Davidovich Bronstein, hurriedly scribbled his former jailer’s name in a false passport as he fled from Siberian exile in 1902, hidden in a haywain. He later complained that he had no idea he would be stuck with being ‘Trotsky’ for the rest of his life. But would this enduring movement, as persistent in the world as the measles, have survived so long under

Court of Appeal rules in favour of Labour party in latest leadership contest twist

In the past few minutes, the Court of Appeal has ruled in favour of the Labour Party’s block on anyone who joined after 12 January 2016 from voting in the party’s leadership election. This means – until there is an appeal to the Supreme Court – that around 130,000 members, most of whom are believed to be sympathetic to Jeremy Corbyn, will not be able to vote. As I explained earlier this week when the High Court ruled in this matter, the impact of this may merely be the size of the victory that Jeremy Corbyn wins against Owen Smith. But it does also make the Labour party more divided and

The honour that truly stinks came from Corbyn

Another honours list comes and goes and yet again my name is not on it. I don’t think either the Prime Minister or Jeremy Corbyn realises the hurt that this flagrant oversight engenders, both in myself and of course in my public. For countless years I have tried, selflessly, to make the world a better place, to illuminate the poor and the downtrodden with the light of love. I have endeavoured, wherever I can, in my own way, to bring comfort to the sick — not only those who are physically infirm, but also mentals. And yet — nothing, nix. More pertinently, with regard to the latest honours list from

Labour’s moderates are stuck until they can solve their membership problem

We are still not entirely sure when the Labour leadership contest will end, but in these dusty days of recess, it is certainly keeping everyone nicely busy. Today Owen Smith received a boost from trade union GMB, which decided to endorse his bid to take over from Jeremy Corbyn. Its members voted 60-40 to endorse Smith, and General Secretary Tim Roache said ‘GMB members cannot afford for Labour to be talking to itself in a bubble for the next five years while the Tories run riot through out rights at work, our public services and our communities’. This drew yet another combative – and slightly curious – response from Team

Steerpike

Will Labour put its money where its mouth is on conference security?

Although Labour Conference is set to take place next month, doubts have surfaced over whether it will go ahead thanks to a security snag. After the party decided to boycott G4S — their usual security supplier — they have been left with few options when it comes to security firms for the event. A leaked memo to Guido last week revealed that the only security firm available to Labour at present is Liverpool-based Showsec. Alas, questions have been raised over their suitability as they are in the midst of a row with the GMB after being accused of not letting staff unionise. However, Mr S understands there is another option on the table. If Labour

Tom Goodenough

Corbyn ally wins Labour’s Liverpool mayoral nomination

Labour has opted for Steve Rotheram to be their candidate in Liverpool’s mayoral election. It’s a big boost for Jeremy Corbyn, as Rotheram has been fiercely loyal to the Labour leader since Corbyn made him his PPS – essentially his right-hand man in Westminster – last September. He’s stuck by Corbyn along the way, and Rotheram suggested after winning the vote amongst Labour members that it could well have helped him defeat current mayor Joe Anderson and Luciana Berger, amongst others, in today’s vote: ‘When we phoned people I think what potentially did have an impact was this underused and rare commodity in politics at the moment and that is