‘Keir Starmer Must Start Listening to His Labour Critics Rather Than Expelling Them’

Following the controversial suspension of four prominent Labour backbenchers last week, including welfare reform rebel-in-chief Rachael Maskell, three leading left-wing groups united to release a joint condemnation of the Government’s latest misstep.

Compass, Open Labour and Momentum joining together on this is a clear signal that the delicate broadchurch of our party is splitting even further, and so it should.

When we came into Government last year, it felt — at least briefly — like what I imagine 1997 must have been for those who remember it. There was elation, joy, and relief. But reality hit fast. Fourteen years of Conservative mismanagement had left the country’s foundations shattered. The ‘Change’ that brought us into power quickly evolved into a mission to rebuild our national infrastructure, restore the social contract, and deliver justice to communities ravaged by austerity, a mishandled pandemic, and years of cruel governance.

No one expected the damage of fourteen years to be undone in just one. And I truly believe the country is and should always be better off under Labour. But belief alone is no longer enough. The hope we instilled in voters is slipping away, and with it, our moral authority.

The breaking point was, of course, the ill-advised welfare reform bill, which would have held potentially devastating impacts on the lives of disabled people. As backbencher after backbencher spoke out against it, the inner failures of the Government were exposed for all to see, and the inevitable last-second U-turn proved embarrassing, if necessary.

It was the latest poorly-thought out scheme that had all the hallmarks of a typical OBR-demanded, Treasury-led decision to save money off the backs of disabled people’s dignity and lives. The Government’s U-Turn was right, and originally it seemed that would be the end of the matter, with the Timms-review hopefully ensuring disabled people’s voices are heard after they were deliberately silenced originally. 

And yet we now find ourselves with the rather sudden and out-the-blue suspension of four backbenchers – described by Government sources as being due to “persistent knobheadery”. That phrase alone exposes the wider rift between the Government and many of its backbenchers, and the contempt some at the top of the party have for those with whom they disagree.

Are we truly arguing, as a party, that not wanting to destroy the lives of disabled people means you shouldn’t be a Labour MP? Are we really calling Labour MPs who refuse to agree to Conservative-style welfare cuts “knobheads”? Indeed, the Government themselves have since admitted that they got this particular policy wrong. 

There’s a clear difference between constructive challenge and destructive rebellion. We must deal with those who act in bad faith.But as a Councillor, I go back to what I said in my first ever interview to become a candidate, back in time for the 2019 elections. I was asked about how I would handle a disagreement with a whipped decision, and my answer was clear: I would do everything I can to positively and privately engage with the leadership and whips to find a suitable compromise, but fundamentally I would do what I believed to be right for my residents. This was, at the time at least, the correct answer according to the panel, and I have since enjoyed 6 years as a proud Labour & Co-Operative Councillor in Macclesfield. 

Obviously, it goes without saying that action needs to be taken against serial rebels who do nothing but damage the Labour Party’s image, but personally I find it hard to argue that standing up against some of the right-leaning elements of this Government is the real issue. Criticising the ‘Island of Strangers’ speech that was delivered by the PM was, at the time, a source of frustration for those close to the leadership. Starmer himself later admitted that he made a grave error with those remarks, albeit during a difficult time for him personally for which he has my sympathy.