Good times were had by all at the Wansbeck Constituency Labour Party dinner on Friday. The all-star lineup included local MP Ian Lavery, his parliamentary colleagues Graeme Morris and Kate Osborne, Mick Lynch, and Labour’s North of Tyne Mayor Jamie Driscoll. All raising their glasses to champagne socialism.
It must have been awkward for Jamie Driscoll, though. He happened to share a table with ex-Labour members expelled for links to proscribed communist group Socialist Action, including Holly Waddell and his former campaign chief Tony Pierre. Presumably Driscoll made amends with Pierre after airbrushing him from history on social media…
Breaking bread with suspended socialists? People have been kicked off Labour’s candidates’ list for less in the last few weeks…
Last night PoliticsHome reported that Starmer has made the minimum effort to nudge himself off the fence over the rail strikes, with a leaked memo from LOTO revealing all Labour frontbenchers, including PPSs, are banned from picket lines this week:
“…However, we also must show leadership and to that end, please be reminded that frontbenchers including [parliamentary private secretaries] should not be on picket lines. Please speak to all the members of your team to remind them of this and confirm with me that you have done so.”
Yet just this morning, Shadow Northern Ireland PPS Kate Osborne tweeted this… on the picket line at Bromley South:
On the picket line at Bromley.
— Kate Osborne MP (@KateOsborneMP) June 21, 2022
I'm a trade unionist, I will always stand on the side of the workers.
Solidarity @rmtunion#TubeStrike #railstrike pic.twitter.com/xu6JGunJod
Only a few hours into the strikes and Labour’s party discipline has already gone off the rails…
UPDATE: Now another PPS, the MoD-shadowing Paula Barker, is also on the picket line
While Guido doesn’t know the whereabouts of Louise Haigh, the Shadow Transport Secretary’s constituency Labour Party is also out picketing
Now that’s a bad look…
The new Labour MP for Jarrow, Kate Osborne, has been accused of trying to exploit prospective parliamentary staffers after putting up a job listing for a ‘Senior Caseworker’ which goes well beyond the typical list of responsibilities for the role. One current staffer described it as being “senior caseworker and researcher and office manager” all rolled into one, for no extra pay…
Kerri Prince, who is a Labour councillor and staffer for Alex Cunningham MP, said merely reading the job description gave her “burnout”, and commented that “A staff member would not get through this list of work even if they worked 8 days a week” before going on to alert the Unite union to the listing. Labour MP, Alex Sobel, and former MP Anna Turley, have also criticised the listing…
The full list of responsibilities the Labour MP is asking for – for as little as £27,324 a year – are:
- Analyse, evaluate and interpret data to ensure the Member is accurately informed on key issues and is aware of trends
- Attend surgeries, tribunals and meetings as appropriate
- Develop knowledge in specialist areas
- Ensure all cases are logged; monitor progress and ensure all identified actions are taken
- Ensure records are kept and information managed confidentially and in line with the Data Protection Act
- Follow up on social media queries and comments
- Gather relevant information to resolve or progress cases
- Liaise with Government agencies, voluntary sector and others to resolve constituency matters
- Manage and progress portfolio of casework appropriately
- Manage projects
- Manage the MP’s website contents
- Monitor media coverage, liaise with media, prepare press releases as required (on constituency, non-party political matters)
- Prepare media briefings
- Proactive and re-active communications with all media
- Provide briefings for the MP
- Publicise the Member’s parliamentary duties on Social Media
- Research local, regional or national issues to support MPs’ work
- Respond to routine correspondence and enquiries from constituents, the media, lobbyists and pressure groups
- Supervise other members of staff
- Take initial action on queries from members of the public, including responding on behalf of the MP as appropriate
As ever with Labour, on workers’ rights it’s ‘do as I say and not as I do’…
