The repercussions of the decision of four Labour MPs to prop up Theresa May and her government during last week’s tight vote on her EU trade bill continue.
Last night the SKWAWKBOX reported on the overwhelming vote by Vauxhall CLP (constituency Labour party) to express no-confidence in their MP Kate Hoey, one of the four, and to call for the withdrawal of the Labour whip.
Tonight on Merseyside Birkenhead CLP similarly voted overwhelming no-confidence in veteran right-winger Frank Field and called for the withdrawal of the whip. More than eighty percent of the votes cast supported the motion.
Will similar moves be mounted against John Mann and Graham Stringer, the remaining pair?
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Frank Field has for far too long acted as a fig-leaf for Tory policies but this time he went too far.
It is interesting to see how the situation has now changed. We should remember that it was due to “machinations” that the neighbouring constituency to Frank’s had a popular leftwing potential parliamentary candidate overruled, and replaced by the parachuted-in Angela Eagle. This is justice of sorts.
That’s right.
Stephen Kinnock called her a ‘persuader’. She also came fourth in the deputy leadership election.
While I deplore the actions of the four Labour MPs who voted with the Conservatives on a Brexit amendment, consideration must be given to spare Frank Field from deselection. His performance as Chair of the Work and Pensions Committee has been exemplary. He has done a yeoman’s job exposing the flaws and human costs of the draconian welfare reforms.
Disclosure: I am a 62 year old Disability Studies specialist—from Montreal, Canada—who since 2012 has been campaigning daily on Twitter, and communicating frequently with the UN’s human rights office, in Geneva, on the welfare crisis impacting U.K.’s sick and disabled.
Unfortunately doing good elsewhere isn’t enough. Fact is we wouldn’t have a problem for him to do good work for without a Tory gov. Our first iron clad chance to topple the lot & it was sabotaged by these 4 in an unforgivable act.
How many more must suffer or die now because of this vote?
Nope he can be deselected along with every other Tory sympathiser out there.
We NEED the Tories OUT.
Speaking as one of those sick/disabled affected who is now facing another WCA 18 months after the previous one to renew my PIP then another for ESA then assuming I “pass” another barrage in a following 18 months or less. I see now ppl are being given 6 month awards for support group instead of 3 years too.
Sam , thanks for your good work re social security, I use the old but correct I believe term for state aid.
But I agree 100% with Richards comment re Field .Whatever work Fields did has been utterly trashed by his deliberate and calculated decision to support May and enabled the continuance of this murderous Tory Govt .
‘While I deplore the actions of the four Labour MPs who voted with the Conservatives on a Brexit amendment, consideration must be given to spare Frank Field from deselection.’
Absolutely not.
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‘His performance as Chair of the Work and Pensions Committee has been exemplary. He has done a yeoman’s job exposing the flaws and human costs of the draconian welfare reforms.’
Nope. Ignored the concerns of people directly affected (Including the disabled) by workfare & welfare to work programmes and implemented each & every one of the parasitical W2W companies’ recommendations. The programmes have ended up being WORSE than had the Govt. left people alone to look for work
Yeoman’s job, you say?
frank field was always rubbish to labour so no loss he was like mcVey is to conservatives’ always trying to mix bad principals for the sick and disabled on the pretence he was on their side but never was
Hello Nick. I stand to be corrected but I believe that when the perverts and war-lovers were first elected the Golden one asked Field to look at the welfare state and “do the unthinkable”. He accomplished his tasks with relish. I imagine that he must feel that he has played a clever game. Out vile jelly. Regards.
‘Will similar moves be mounted against John Mann and Graham Stringer, the remaining pair?’
Remaining PAIR? I get what that’s in relation to, but there’s at least another 80-90 minimum need bootin’ up the ‘arris, too.
Excellent show from Birkenhead CLP by the way – Never thought they had it in them. Wallasey’s turn shortly, I hope…
In the crucial vote referred to in the article, where it going the other way would have almost certainly ended the Maybot’s career the four people named (Hoey, Field, Mann and Stringer) were current Labour MPs who voted with the Tories – and the winning margin was three votes.
Before applauding Field for “exposing” the injustices of Universal Credit I think one might take into account that he was a key advisor and member of IDS’ right wing Centre for Social Justice that devised Universal Credit in the first place.
Although the usual cock ups in its introduction have made matters worse UC was always intended to be bloody draconian and Field was quite happy to go along with the approach.
Frank Field’s destiny and legacy are in his own hands.
He can announce that he will be retiring at the next GE and probably end his career in the HofL
OR
He can cling on and wait to be dis-owned by his CLP and end his political career in ignominy.
The choice is entirely his.
Or he can cling on and be disowned by his CLP, only to be elevated to HofL by May out of sheer spite.
On a completely different subject – I wonder what promises are made by PMs to their MPs in return for toeing the line – or even to opposing MPs for selling out?
Labour ex-MPs presumably don’t get the number or quality of directorship offers that Tory ex-MPs do – a seat the Lords might look quite tempting to the not-so-popular not-so-socialists.
Just kidding of course – this is England after all 🙂