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Andy Burnham: Labour made a mess of welfare bill vote Andy Burnham: Labour made a mess of welfare bill vote
(about 1 hour later)
The Labour party is “crying out for leadership” after it made a “mess” of Monday night’s vote on the government’s welfare bill, leadership hopeful Andy Burnham has said.The Labour party is “crying out for leadership” after it made a “mess” of Monday night’s vote on the government’s welfare bill, leadership hopeful Andy Burnham has said.
Labour’s acting leader, Harriet Harman, provoked fury within the party when she announced that its MPs should abstain on the government’s welfare bill, expressing support for the government’s lowering of the household welfare benefit cap. I wasn’t prepared to split the party and make the job of opposition even harder
Labour’s acting leader, Harriet Harman, provoked fury within the party when she announced that its MPs should abstain, expressing support for the government’s lowering of the household welfare benefit cap.
Harman tried to quell a growing rebellion over the decision by tabling an amendment setting out why the party disagreed with the government’s proposed bill.Harman tried to quell a growing rebellion over the decision by tabling an amendment setting out why the party disagreed with the government’s proposed bill.
On Monday night 48 Labour MPs rebelled and voted against the welfare reform and work bill, though the bill passed by 308 to 124 votes. Harman’s amendment was defeated by 308 votes to 208. On Monday night, 48 Labour MPs rebelled and voted against the welfare reform and work bill, though the bill passed by 308 to 124 votes. Harman’s amendment was defeated by 308 votes to 208.
“It was a mess, wasn’t it? The run-up to this vote was a bit of a mess,” said Burnham on Tuesday. “It is quite clear that this is a party now that is crying out for leadership and that is what I have shown in recent days.” Related: Labour’s capitulation on welfare reveals the vacuum in its soul | Bryan Gould
Despite previously describing the welfare bill as “unsupportable”, Burnham penned a letter to Labour MPs hours before the vote to tell them he would toe the party line and abstain, saying collective responsibility was important and was what he would expect from his MPs if he was their leader. “It was a mess, wasn’t it? The runup to this vote was a bit of a mess,” said Burnham. “It is quite clear that this is a party now that is crying out for leadership and that is what I have shown in recent days.”
Despite previously describing the welfare bill as “unsupportable”, Burnham wrote a letter to Labour MPs hours before the vote to tell them he would toe the party line and abstain, saying collective responsibility was important and was what he would expect from his MPs if he was their leader.
“I persuaded Labour to change its position. It did put down this reasoned amendment,” Burnham told the BBC. “But let me be clear, this was still a compromise position and it wasn’t a strong enough position for me.“I persuaded Labour to change its position. It did put down this reasoned amendment,” Burnham told the BBC. “But let me be clear, this was still a compromise position and it wasn’t a strong enough position for me.
“I as leader would have opposed this bill outright last night and would do so if I was elected leader. I faced a choice. Having made the party move its position, did I then defy the compromise? I wasn’t prepared to split the party and make the job of opposition even harder.” “I as leader would have opposed this bill outright and would do so if I was elected leader. I faced a choice. Having made the party move its position, did I then defy the compromise? I wasn’t prepared to split the party and make the job of opposition even harder.”
Jeremy Corbyn was the only Labour leadership contender to unreservedly reject the welfare bill, as Burnham, Yvette Cooper and Liz Kendall all abstained in the vote on a second reading. Jeremy Corbyn was the only Labour leadership contender to unreservedly reject the welfare bill; Burnham, Yvette Cooper and Liz Kendall all abstained in the vote on a second reading.
Speaking on Tuesday morning, Corbyn said of many of those who abstained that “their hearts were certainly in the lobby with those of us who voted against [the bill]”. Corbyn said of many of those who abstained that “their hearts were certainly in the lobby with those of us who voted against [the bill]”.
He said: “We ought to be as a society deeply concerned about the levels of child poverty, deeply concerned about the levels of homelessness and rough sleeping.”He said: “We ought to be as a society deeply concerned about the levels of child poverty, deeply concerned about the levels of homelessness and rough sleeping.”
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, former home secretary David Blunkett said he thought the Labour party was going through an understandable emotional trauma. “It’s bound to be after the loss in May and the bewilderment about where we go from here,” he said.Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, former home secretary David Blunkett said he thought the Labour party was going through an understandable emotional trauma. “It’s bound to be after the loss in May and the bewilderment about where we go from here,” he said.
Blunkett said Monday night’s vote had once again placed the focus “on [the Labour party] being divided rather than what the Tories are doing, a lot of which is unacceptable”.Blunkett said Monday night’s vote had once again placed the focus “on [the Labour party] being divided rather than what the Tories are doing, a lot of which is unacceptable”.
Last week, Helen Goodman, MP for Bishop Auckland, tabled an amendment to block the government’s welfare plans without consent from the party’s acting leader, announcing on Twitter that 40 Labour MPs had signed her “reasoned amendment” to the bill, which in the end the Speaker did not select to be voted on.Last week, Helen Goodman, MP for Bishop Auckland, tabled an amendment to block the government’s welfare plans without consent from the party’s acting leader, announcing on Twitter that 40 Labour MPs had signed her “reasoned amendment” to the bill, which in the end the Speaker did not select to be voted on.
Goodman, who was one of the 48 rebels and is backing Cooper’s leadership bid, said she thought the size of the rebellion was “very respectable” and had “shifted the debate quite significantly and in a very important and useful way”.Goodman, who was one of the 48 rebels and is backing Cooper’s leadership bid, said she thought the size of the rebellion was “very respectable” and had “shifted the debate quite significantly and in a very important and useful way”.
She said the fact that Stephen Timms, the shadow employment minister, had tabled a long list of amendments to the welfare bill demonstrated that the party’s leadership had been forced to listen to dissenting voices.She said the fact that Stephen Timms, the shadow employment minister, had tabled a long list of amendments to the welfare bill demonstrated that the party’s leadership had been forced to listen to dissenting voices.
She added that the size of the rebellion was “emphatically not” an indication that Corbyn was going to be the next Labour leader. “There were people supporting Yvette and people supporting Andy in that lobby,” she said.She added that the size of the rebellion was “emphatically not” an indication that Corbyn was going to be the next Labour leader. “There were people supporting Yvette and people supporting Andy in that lobby,” she said.
Louise Haigh, MP for Sheffield Heeley, was one of the 18 MPs newly elected in May who rebelled. “It was a very, very difficult decision obviously and it certainly wasn’t one that I wanted to make within my first few weeks of being an MP,” she said. “I didn’t want to go out of my first term already rebelling.”Louise Haigh, MP for Sheffield Heeley, was one of the 18 MPs newly elected in May who rebelled. “It was a very, very difficult decision obviously and it certainly wasn’t one that I wanted to make within my first few weeks of being an MP,” she said. “I didn’t want to go out of my first term already rebelling.”
Haigh said she thought the 2015 cohort was different from previous years because many new Labour MPs came from different backgrounds and had not entered politics through the “special adviser route”, so were “not as beholden to certain forces within the party”.Haigh said she thought the 2015 cohort was different from previous years because many new Labour MPs came from different backgrounds and had not entered politics through the “special adviser route”, so were “not as beholden to certain forces within the party”.
“We’re always on the back foot, we’re always responding,” she said. “We don’t have a positive, constructive welfare policy of our own at the moment and that’s understandable given that we have interim leadership in place.”“We’re always on the back foot, we’re always responding,” she said. “We don’t have a positive, constructive welfare policy of our own at the moment and that’s understandable given that we have interim leadership in place.”
Paul Flynn, MP for Newport West, who is backing Kendall and voted against the bill, said he wanted to see more “political agility” from the leadership and that the party seemed to have forgotten the lesson of Scotland “where we committed political suicide by aligning ourselves with Tories in the Better Together campaign”.Paul Flynn, MP for Newport West, who is backing Kendall and voted against the bill, said he wanted to see more “political agility” from the leadership and that the party seemed to have forgotten the lesson of Scotland “where we committed political suicide by aligning ourselves with Tories in the Better Together campaign”.
“There isn’t room for political subtlety when we have a budget that most of us would regard as evil,” said Flynn. “It’s giving to the rich and taking from the poor. Most of our potential supporters would want us to vote against it. With a budget like that, the only response is a big no.”“There isn’t room for political subtlety when we have a budget that most of us would regard as evil,” said Flynn. “It’s giving to the rich and taking from the poor. Most of our potential supporters would want us to vote against it. With a budget like that, the only response is a big no.”
Related: Welfare bill: Labour in disarray as 48 MPs defy whips to vote no
Three of the candidates to be Labour’s nominee for London mayor – Diane Abbott, Sadiq Khan and David Lammy – voted against the bill. Khan, the MP for Tooting, said the welfare bill would disproportionately affect poor Londoners.Three of the candidates to be Labour’s nominee for London mayor – Diane Abbott, Sadiq Khan and David Lammy – voted against the bill. Khan, the MP for Tooting, said the welfare bill would disproportionately affect poor Londoners.
“I came into politics to make life easier for working people not harder, to lift children from poverty, not push them into it and to have a united London, not one socially cleansed,” said Khan. “This bill is bad for Londoners and bad for Britain. The people who will be affected by this need someone to stand up for them.”“I came into politics to make life easier for working people not harder, to lift children from poverty, not push them into it and to have a united London, not one socially cleansed,” said Khan. “This bill is bad for Londoners and bad for Britain. The people who will be affected by this need someone to stand up for them.”
Tweeting after the vote, Abbott, the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, said: “Sorry for colleagues who knew it was wrong but abstained. We weren’t sent to parliament to abstain.” On Tuesday morning, she continued: “330,000 children will be hit by Tory welfare bill and single mothers hit hardest. How do the abstainers feel this morning?” Tweeting after the vote, Abbott, the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, said: “Sorry for colleagues who knew it was wrong but abstained. We weren’t sent to parliament to abstain.” On Tuesday morning, she tweeted: “330,000 children will be hit by Tory welfare bill and single mothers hit hardest. How do the abstainers feel this morning?”
Speaking in parliament on the morning after the vote, the chancellor, George Osborne, taunted the opposition benches, saying there had been “a new intake of old Labour MPs” who were “dragging [the party] back to the 1980s”. “We know the direction they are heading in,” said Osborne, “left, left, left, away from the centre ground of British politics and away from support for working people.”Speaking in parliament on the morning after the vote, the chancellor, George Osborne, taunted the opposition benches, saying there had been “a new intake of old Labour MPs” who were “dragging [the party] back to the 1980s”. “We know the direction they are heading in,” said Osborne, “left, left, left, away from the centre ground of British politics and away from support for working people.”
Corbyn, the MP for Islington North, currently has the most nominations from constituency Labour parties (CLPs), with 70, compared with Burnham’s 69, Cooper’s 58, and Kendall’s 12.Corbyn, the MP for Islington North, currently has the most nominations from constituency Labour parties (CLPs), with 70, compared with Burnham’s 69, Cooper’s 58, and Kendall’s 12.
Analysis from the blog Labour List, which takes into account the number of members in each CLP, suggested that Corbyn’s lead might be larger than it at first appears, with around 36.3% of members being attached to a local party that is backing him, compared with 29% of Burnham, 25.1% for Cooper and 9.7% for Kendall. Analysis from the blog Labour List, which takes into account the number of members in each CLP, suggested that Corbyn’s lead might be larger than it at first appears, with about 36.3% of members being attached to a local party that is backing him, compared with 29% of Burnham, 25.1% for Cooper and 9.7% for Kendall.