10 of Starmer’s frontbenchers resigned last night to vote in favour of a ceasefire in a symbolic vote organised by the SNP. The King’s Speech amendment calling for “all parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire” was defeated by a majority of 168. Performative, pointless…
Labour’s front bench resignations were:
- Shadow Minister for Domestic Violence and Safeguarding Jess Phillips.
- Shadow Minister for Crime Reduction Naz Shah.
- Shadow Minister for Devolution and the English Regions Paula Barker.
- Shadow Minister for Local Government and Faith Sarah Owen.
- Shadow Minister for Exports Afzal Khan.
- Shadow Minister for Veterans Rachel Hopkins.
- Shadow Solicitor General for England and Wales Andy Slaughter.
- Shadow equalities minister Yasmin Qureshi.
- Shadow treasury PPS Dan Carden.
- PPS to Angela Rayner Mary Foy.
A total of 56 Labour MPs – over a quarter – rebelled. Starmer’s statement reiterated his support for Israel and added – “I regret that some colleagues felt unable to support the position tonight“. John Healey said this morning that Labour is “acting in these very difficult circumstances as if we were in government“. Oh dear…
One of Manchester’s own MPs has been hospitalised with Covid, Guido can reveal. Guido understands that the Labour MP for Bolton South East Yasmin Qureshi became one of the hundreds of new admissions in the region in recent days. The news comes as the region continues to resist further regional measures to deal with a surge in infections, and northern Nightingale hospitals are at standby as NHS beds reach capacity. Guido wishes Qureshi a speedy recovery.
UPDATE: Following Guido’s story, Qureshi has released a statement:
“Two weeks ago, I began to feel unwell. I then tested positive for COVID-19, so my family and I immediately self-isolated at home. I have not travelled to Westminster or anywhere else.
I continued to work as best I could remotely, attending virtual meetings and doing casework, but after 10 days, I began to feel much worse and on Saturday I was admitted to the Royal Bolton Hospital with pneumonia.
I’m being very well looked after and have nothing but praise and admiration for the wonderful staff at the hospital. They have been amazing throughout the process and I would like to extend my thanks to everyone working here in such difficult circumstances.”
Read the statement in full on Facebook here. Get well soon, Yasmin
Jeremy Corbyn has been blasted for rewarding a Labour MP embroiled in a string of anti-Semitism rows with a frontbench job. Yasmin Qureshi, Labour’s new Shadow Justice Minister, said in 2014 that the Israel-Palestine conflict was “the same” as the Holocaust. She was initially unrepentant, refusing to apologise before Ed Miliband eventually forced her to say sorry. It’s not the only time Qureshi has been in trouble: she invited blood libel anti-Semite Raed Salah to parliament, dismissed Hamas’ Iranian-built rockets as “home made”, claimed the Trojan Horse schools scandal was a “witch hunt” and attended an event in the Commons with CAGE. The Campaign Against Anti-Semitism tell Guido:
“We now have a Shadow Minister for Justice who holds an antisemitic view according to the definition of antisemitism, a Shadow Home Secretary who thinks that allegations of antisemitism are being concocted as a means by which to smear Jeremy Corbyn, and a Shadow Attorney General who has done more than anyone else to make the Labour Party deaf to Jews. These appointments make it abundantly clear that Jeremy Corbyn has no intention of addressing antisemitism in the Labour Party.”
Well done Jez.
