Showing posts with label Labour Party. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Labour Party. Show all posts

Saturday, November 19, 2022

Keir Starmer: I Will Abolish House of Lords to ‘Restore Trust in Politics’

THE GUARDIAN: Exclusive: Labour leader plans a new elected chamber after accusing successive Tory governments of handing peerages to ‘lackeys and donors’

Labour would remove politicians’ powers to make appointments to the Lords in its first term.Photograph: Arthur Edwards/The Sun/PA

Keir Starmer will abolish the House of Lords and replace it with a new elected chamber as part of plans to “restore trust in politics”, the Observer understands.

In a sweeping constitutional overhaul, the Labour leader has told the party’s peers that he wants to strip politicians of the power to make appointments to the Lords as part of the first-term programme of a Labour government. Starmer said that the public’s faith in the political system had been undermined by successive Tory leaders handing peerages to “lackeys and donors”.

It is understood that Labour will hold a consultation on the composition and size of a new chamber as well as immediate reforms to the current appointments process. Final proposals will be included in the party’s next election manifesto.

It comes after a series of rows over peerages. Boris Johnson made a number of controversial appointments, including his friend Evgeny Lebedev, who owns the Evening Standard. He is expected to appoint political allies and junior aides as part of a forthcoming list. » | Michael Savage, Policy editor | Saturday, November 19, 2022

Our French friends and neighbours got it right way back in 1789! What do we need people to lord it over us for anyway? In the eyes of God, we are all born equal. Liberté!. Égalité! Fraternité! – Mark

Sunday, October 16, 2022

Sharon Graham: We Are Witnessing a Horror Story'

General Secretary of trade union Unite Sharon Graham told Sophy Ridge the political situation is like "witnessing a horror story" and insisted the UK needs a change of government.

"It's like watching a film behind your hands and every time you look there's something worse happening," Ms Graham said.


Saturday, August 20, 2022

Labour Surges as Tory Fears Grow over Truss’s Tax Cut Agenda

THE OBSERVER: Likely PM’s policies will mean ‘big trouble’, say critics, as Starmer’s energy price initiative boosts him in polls

Liz Truss has been criticised by the former Tory chancellor Kenneth Clarke for proposing tax cuts during a time of ‘enormous public debts’. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA

Senior Tories have warned that their party will suffer dire electoral consequences under a Liz Truss premiership that fails to address the cost of living crisis, as Labour enjoys a poll bounce suggesting Keir Starmer could be on course for No 10.

Amid signs of mounting panic among high-ranking Conservatives about Truss’s economic policies, several former cabinet ministers told the Observer on Saturday the party would suffer devastating losses in blue and red wall seats unless Truss changes tack, if and when she enters No 10.

After Michael Gove described Truss’s plan to focus on cutting taxes as a “holiday from reality” and announced he was supporting Rishi Sunak, the latest Opinium poll for the Observer gives Labour and its leader a double poll boost, days after he backed a complete freeze on energy bills this autumn. Labour now enjoys its biggest Opinium poll lead in months – eight points – while Starmer has surged well ahead of Truss in the past two weeks when voters are asked who would be the best prime minister. » | Toby Helm, Observer political editor “ | Saturday, August 20, 2022

This woman, Liz Truss, is economically illiterate. That we should even be contemplating entrusting her with the keys to Number 10 is a sad indictment of the British political system. For this cipher to wish to pursue Thatcherite policies at this time of national crisis shows me, and should show you, that she has lost the plot! The very last thng this country needs right now is more Thatcherite policies! It is an overdose of Thatcherism that has helped to land us all in this parlous state we now find ourselves in. For God's sake, don't give that woman the keys to Number 10. Doing so will be the path to this country's ruin. It will also help accelrate this country's place on the list of Third World countries. To borrow Thatcher's well-worn turn of phrase: "No! No! No!" Further, to add insult to injury, that voice of hers! Well! It's bad enough to turn the milk sour! – © Mark Alexander

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Opinion: Tom Watson Says PM Is 'Disgraceful' and Calls for Referendum before Election


The deputy Labour party leader said Boris Johnson was 'worse than Thatcher' in a speech at the Creative Industries Federation in London on Wednesday as he called for a referendum before a general election. Watson said: 'There is no such thing as a good Brexit deal' and urged his party to 'unequivocally back remain'

Saturday, May 11, 2019

Poll Surge for Farage Sparks Panic among Tories and Labour


THE GUARDIAN: Support for the Conservatives at the European elections slumps to 11%, less than a third of what the Brexit party is polling

Senior Tory and Labour politicians have issued frantic calls to their voters to back them in next week’s European elections after a new poll showed support for Nigel Farage’s Brexit party had soared to a level higher than for the two main parties put together.

The Opinium survey for the Observer places the Brexit party on 34%, when people were asked how they intended to vote on 23 May, with Labour slipping to 21% and the Conservatives collapsing to just 11%. Ominously for Theresa May, support for the Tories at the European elections is now less than a third of that for Farage’s party, and below that for the Liberal Democrats, who are on 12%.

The poll suggests the Brexit party, launched only last month, is now on course for a thumping victory that Farage will, MPs fear, use to back his argument that the UK must leave the EU immediately without a deal. » | Toby Helm and Michael Savage | Saturday, May 11, 2019

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Labour Formally Adopts Definition of Islamophobia


THE GUARDIAN: All-party parliamentary group definition says Islamophobia is ‘rooted in racism’

The Labour party has formally adopted a definition of Islamophobia, arguing that it is vital to tackling the rise of far-right racism.

A party spokesperson said its national executive committee had adopted the working definition produced by the all-party parliamentary group on British Muslims “to help tackle Islamophobia, build a common understanding of its causes and consequences, and express solidarity with Muslim communities”.

The definition reads: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” » | Frances Perraudin | Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Monday, February 25, 2019

Labour Party Leader, Under Pressure, Backs a New Brexit Referendum


THE NEW YORK TIMES: LONDON — Britain’s opposition Labour Party said on Monday that it was prepared to support a second referendum on withdrawal from the European Union, a shift that could have significant ramifications for the fate of Brexit and for the country’s future.

After the resignations of nine Labour Party members last week, and amid the prospect of more, the party’s leader, Jeremy Corbyn, dropped his longstanding resistance to a second vote on leaving the bloc.

Mr. Corbyn’s support for a new vote is certainly no guarantee a new vote will happen. Still, it will cheer pro-European Britons, who have been fighting to reverse the outcome of the 2016 referendum decision. » | Stephen Castle | Monday, February 25, 2019

Monday, July 17, 2017

Tony Blair on Corbyn and the Lessons of the 2017 General Election (Full Interview) - BBC Newsnight


Newsnight's editor Ian Katz speaks to former Prime Minister Tony Blair about Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, the future of the Labour party and the lessons of the 2017 general election.

Saturday, September 12, 2015

With Jeremy Corbyn Elected as New Leader, Britain’s Labour Party Takes a Hard Left Turn

Jeremy Corbyn after being elected leader of Britain's
opposition Labour Party on Saturday.
THE NEW YORK TIMES: LONDON - Britain’s opposition Labour Party on Saturday took a remarkable leftward turn, electing as its leader Jeremy Corbyn, a longtime socialist committed to nationalizing key industries, scrapping Britain’s nuclear missile system and reversing the centrist policies of previous leaders such as Tony Blair.

The result of the contest, announced on Saturday morning in London, gave stewardship of the Labour party to the hard left for the first time in more than three decades, a development seen here as one of the most surprising upsets in modern British politics.

As Europe continues to feel the aftershocks of the financial crisis of 2008, voters have been increasingly attracted to the political extremes, with support growing both for socialist parties on the left and nationalist ones on the right. The Labour leadership result could now shift the main opposition party in Britain closer to the types of positions taken by other leftist parties that have become prominent across Europe, including Syriza in Greece and Podemos in Spain.

Mr. Corbyn, 66, has been a lawmaker for more than three decades but never served in government, preferring to campaign, often for unfashionable causes, and frequently rebelling against the party line. » | Saturday, September 12, 2015

Friday, May 08, 2015

Ed Miliband Resigns as Labour Leader


THE GUARDIAN: Miliband steps down after admitting scale of election defeat had taken him and his staff by surprise


A devastated Ed Miliband has resigned as leader of the Labour party, saying he is truly sorry for the scale of the party’s crushing defeat.

In an emotional speech, Miliband said it was time for someone else to take over as leader, but called on the party to keep fighting, rather than give in to despair.

“I take absolute and total responsibility for our defeat. I am so sorry for all of those colleagues who lost their seats,” he said on Friday.

He said the party now needed an “open and honest debate” about the best way of rebuilding after the heavy losses, particularly to the Scottish National party. » | Patrick Wintour and Rowena Mason | Friday, May 08, 2015

Monday, November 10, 2014

Palastrevolution in der britischen Labour-Partei


Sechs Monate vor den britischen Parlamentswahlen müsste die Opposition eigentlich alles daran setzen, den politischen Gegner in die Enge zu treiben. Nach viereinhalb Jahren konservativ geprägter Sparpolitik stünden die Chancen gut. Statt dessen bläst die Labour-Partei zu einer Hetzjagd auf ihren Vorsitzenden Ed Miliband.

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Tony Blair Iraq Comments: Senior Labour Figures Distance Themselves from Former PM after He Refuses to Accept Blame for New Crisis

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY: Sources close to Ed Miliband refused to endorse Mr Blair’s analysis

Senior Labour figures rapidly distanced themselves from Tony Blair after he supported airstrikes on Iraq and Syria – and refused to accept that he should accept any of the blame for the crisis engulfing the region.

He defended his Government’s backing for the US-led invasion of Iraq, insisting it had been right to oust Saddam Hussein and urging military intervention to halt the advance of extremist Isis forces across the north of the country.

The former Prime Minister’s comments, in a blogpost on his website and a series of television interviews, opened fresh wounds within the party over the 11-year-old Iraq war.

Sources close to Ed Miliband refused to endorse Mr Blair’s analysis. One told the Independent: “What matters now is making the judgements rather than seeking to make points about what happened in the past.”

The shadow Foreign Secretary, Douglas Alexander, echoed the Coalition Government’s view that military action is not contemplated. He said: “The truth is that it is the Iraqis themselves who hold the key to resolving this crisis.” » | Nigel Morris | Sunday, June 15, 2014

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Ed Miliband: I'm Bringing Socialism Back to Britain

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Ed Miliband has said he is "bringing back socialism" to Britain as he unveiled new plans to strengthen the minimum wage ahead of the Labour Party conference.

Mr Miliband said that David Cameron's government will stand only for the "privileged few" as he promised to deliver an economy that "works for the working people".

He also confirmed his pledge to scrap the spare room subsidy, which he described as a "bedroom tax", and tackle the cost-of-living "crisis".

Unusually for Mr Miliband, he chose not to wear a suit, opting instead for a grey v-neck jumper and jeans. Earlier in the day he took a stroll along Brighton seafront with his wife Justine and his children, Daniel and Samuel.

Mr Miliband said: "We are going to scrap the bedroom tax, that's what I mean by a government that fights for you.

"And we are fighting for all of the low-paid people around our country. One of the proudest achievements of the last Labour government was the national minimum wage, making work pay for people.

"But under David Cameron's Government people are falling behind, the national minimum wage now paying people £20 less after inflation than it did when David Cameron came to office. That's just wrong.

"When we see that happening and when we think about one of the big banks, do we really think they can't afford to pay heir cleaners a bit more?"

It was "wrong" that millions of people "are going out to work unable to afford to bring up their families".

He added: "The Labour government will put it right, we will strengthen the national minimum wage, we will make work pay for the workers of Britain. » | Steven Swinford, Senior Political Correspondent | Saturday, September 21, 2013

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Outcry as Labour’s Diane Abbott Demands More Migrants Should Come to UK

DAILY EXPRESS: LABOUR is facing fresh embarrassment over border control today after frontbencher Diane Abbott attacked Ed Miliband for failing to argue for MORE immigration.

The shadow Health Minister claimed her leader was shy of publicly standing up to Tory calls for tighter restrictions on the number of newcomers arriving in Britain.

She also claimed Mr Miliband spent too much time worrying about opinion polls which showed that promises to cut immigration were popular with voters.

Her outburst in an interview with a Labour-supporting website intensified the party’s leadership row that has dominated the Parliamentary summer break.

And it provoked fears that many in Labour would reverse the Government’s drive to cut annual net immigration to “tens of thousands” after a mass influx of migrants under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

Ms Abbott, a former Labour leadership candidate, told the Progress website: “I’ve spoken to Ed Miliband about this quite a bit.

“I know that, on this issue, Ed’s heart is in the right place and he’s trying hard to position us correctly.

“What weighs with him is the polling, which shows what the Tories are doing on immigration is popular. And it certainly weighs on other members of the shadow cabinet.”

Ms Abbott claimed there was a lack of people at the top of the party willing to make the case for more immigration to the UK. » | Macer Hall | Thursday, August 22, 2013

Thursday, March 14, 2013


Labour Peer Lord Ahmed Suspended Over Claims He Blamed Imprisonment On 'Jewish Conspiracy'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Labour has suspended a peer who is alleged to have blamed a Jewish conspiracy for the imprisonment he received over a fatal motorway crash.

The Times has reported [£] that Lord Ahmed, a Labour life peer, claimed that he received his prison sentenced because of pressure on the courts from Jews “who own newspapers and TV channels".

Lord Ahmed, who in 1998 became the first Muslim life peer, is said to have claimed that the conspiracy was a result of his support for the Palestinians in Gaza.

He is said to have made the comments in a TV interview in April last year while on a visit to Pakistan.

Labour today suspended the peer "pending an investigation".

Ed Miliband, the Labour leader said: "I think that the comments reported by Lord Ahmed are disgraceful comments.

"There's no place for anti-semitism in the Labour Party, and frankly anybody who makes those kinds of comments cannot be either a Labour lord or a Labour member of Parliament."

Lord Ahmed, who was born in Pakistan, became Baron Ahmed of Rotherham at the age of 40.

In 2007 he was highly critical of the awarding of a knighthood to Salman Rushdie, claiming the author had "blood on his hands."

In 2009 he was jailed for dangerous driving after sending and receiving text messages minutes before being involved in a fatal motorway crash. The Court of Appeal later suspended his 12-week jail sentence. » | Peter Dominiczak, Political Corresponden | Thursday, March 14, 2013

Sunday, June 10, 2012

David Cameron’s Tories Slump to a New Low

SUNDAY EXPRESS: DAVID CAMERON’S embattled premiership suffered a hammer blow last night as support for the Conservative Party crashed to its lowest level for a decade.

An exclusive poll for the Sunday Express puts the Tories on just 29 per cent while Labour has soared to 43 per cent.

The fuel shortage fiasco, George Osborne’s disastrous Budget, a series of embarrassing U-turns on tax and a flatline economy have seen a resurgent Labour eclipse the Conservatives.

Ed Miliband’s party now stands 14 points clear of the Tories, putting it on course for an outright majority in a general election.

The gap between Labour and the Conservatives is now wider than at any time since December 2002 when former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith faced the on-going popularity of a pre-Gulf war Tony Blair. » | Kirsty Buchanan | Sunday, June 10, 2012

Friday, May 25, 2012

Ed Miliband: The Patriotism of a Refugee

NEW STATESMAN: The Labour leader recalls how he imbibed Jewish history from his mother and father.

“The first Jewish leader of the Labour Party.” It says something about me and about Britain that I am rarely described as such.

I am not religious. But I am Jewish. My relationship with my Jewishness is complex. But whose isn’t?

My family history often feels distant and far away. Yet the pain of this history is such that I feel a duty to remember, understand and discuss it – a duty that grows, rather than diminishes, over time.

As children we were only dimly aware of it but we caught glimpses. When I was seven, my family went to visit my grandmother in Tel Aviv. Pointing at a black-and-white photograph, I demanded to know who was “that man in the picture”. I remember being taken swiftly out of the room and then being told quietly that he was my grandfather David, who had died in Poland long before I was born. It was only some years later that I realised my mum’s father had died in a concentration camp, murdered by the Nazis for being Jewish. » | Ed Miliband* | Thursday, May 23, 2012

* Ed Miliband is the MP for Doncaster North and leader of the Labour Party.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Budget 2012: Ed Miliband's Response

Labour leader accuses government of unveiling a millionaires' budget and says it marks the end of 'we are all in it together'