Half of Labour shadow cabinet set to resign after Hilary Benn sacked

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: The Guardian

More than half of the Labour shadow cabinet is expected to stand down on Sunday in a major coup against Jeremy Corbyn, triggered by the result of the EU referendum and the leader’s decision to sack Hilary Benn.

Loyal members of shadow cabinet told the Guardian they were writing their resignation letters after Heidi Alexander, the shadow health secretary, stepped down on Sunday morning.

A Labour source said Alexander’s decision to resign in the wake on Benn’s dismissal would prove hugely significant, because unlike the shadow foreign secretary she was a more “loyal and pragmatic” member of the Corbyn team.

“She is seen as a moderate, practical and pragmatic voice,” they said. “Hilary always had a problem with Jeremy. Now that Heidi’s gone, most of the shadow cabinet will step down. He can’t just replace those positions because other frontbench ministers won’t step up to the roles.”



Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jun/26/hilary-benn-revolt-jeremy-corbyn

---

Also covered at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36632956

[Ken Burch]

1. They won't stop until sectarian Blairism is restored.

These idiots don't understand the fact that, if Corbyn is dumped, no one who replaces him will ever be considered the legitimate leader of the party.

None of the young people who flocked to Jeremy's banner will stay in the party or work for it if this is done.

And no one the anti-Cornbynites impose as leader after a coup will stand for anything or fight for anyone. The coup plotters will only accept a cynical, passionless hack who totally opposes any restoration of internal party democracy.

This cannot lead to anything anyone but billionaires would cheer for.

It can't help workers. It can't help the poor.

It will guarantee that Labour never recovers in Scotland(and also that Scotland will leave, which will guarantee a permanent Tory majority, since Labour can never carry England again under any possible leader...even a reactionary like Liz Kendall or Rachel Reeves.

They would never do the sensible thing and put John McDonnell in the job.

[TubbersUK]

2. That's exactly what crossed my mind - back to the Third Way n/t

[LeftishBrit]

12. Most of the resignees are not 'sectarian Blairites'

I don't approve of what the shadow cabinet is doing. Fiddling while Rome (or at least the Treaty of Rome?) burns; fighting each other instead of the Tories. But it's not as simple as a desire to restore Blairism.

This whole Brexit stuff is causing meltdown in both the Labour and the Tory parties. The LibDems had melted down already.

As I was saying way before Brexit: maybe the only way of preserving the UK, and moving forwards, would be to persuade Nicola Sturgeon to become Prime Minister of the whole UK. Won't happen, though!

[Ken Burch]

15. It would help if they would at least, if nothing else, agree to carry out Corbyn's plan

to restore internal party democracy.

It would be intolerable to go back to the era of the party itself being run by an unaccountable elite, with ordinary members being kept voiceless.

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. Updates, Gloria De Piero resigns, Emily Thornberry supports Corbyn, Ian Murray resigns

That's "shadow minister for young people and voter registration", shadow defence secretary, and shadow Scottish secretary (and sole Labour Scottish MP, of course). It's Sky News saying Murray has resigned: http://news.sky.com/story/1717728/live-labour-at-war-as-leadership-coup-begins

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2016/jun/26/brexit-live-jeremy-corbyn-sacks-hilary-benn-tory-leadership

Update: BBC now says Murray has definitely resigned, has quotes from him: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-politics-36570120

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. Lilian Greenwood (transport) and Lucy Powell (education) resign

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2016/jun/26/brexit-live-jeremy-corbyn-sacks-hilary-benn-tory-leadership?page=with:block-576fc155e4b0be24d34f6243#block-576fc155e4b0be24d34f6243

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2016/jun/26/brexit-live-jeremy-corbyn-sacks-hilary-benn-tory-leadership?page=with:block-576fc441e4b030d83eb4a738#block-576fc441e4b030d83eb4a738

Andy Burnham (shadow home secretary, standing for mayor of Manchester) says he's staying:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-politics-36570120

Vernon Coaker, the shadow Northern Ireland secretary, has said he is considering his position: http://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2016/jun/26/brexit-live-jeremy-corbyn-sacks-hilary-benn-tory-leadership?page=with:block-576fc23ae4b030d83eb4a733#block-576fc23ae4b030d83eb4a733

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. Sky says Kerry McCarthy (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) has resigned

http://news.sky.com/story/1717728/live-labour-at-war-as-leadership-coup-begins

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. Seema Malhotra (shadow chief secretary to the Treasury) resigns

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2016/jun/26/brexit-live-jeremy-corbyn-sacks-hilary-benn-tory-leadership?page=with:block-576fcec4e4b0be24d34f625c#block-576fcec4e4b0be24d34f625c

[quakerboy]

7. Ah do believe the appropriate word is

Whinging.

It will be interesting to see what Corbyn does. I suspect I'd be a fan of him managing to fill the positions with non "frontbench ministers". Its seemed to me from the outside that the whole of the labor party was in need of a pretty thorough rebuilt for a while now.

[OnDoutside]

8. It's Low Energy Jeremy, ill suited to be Labour leader. What he has just presided over is

going to do lasting damage to the Labour Party.

The Leave vote has now re-opened the case for a new Scottish Independence Referendum. That will now be highly likely to happen since 62% of Scots voted to Remain in the EU. The SNP had signalled they would demand this after the last Independence Referendum.

If they do get their independence, then it will lock in Tory majorities in Westminster for generations.

Not only were his policies going to make Labour unelectable, but losing a huge part of Labour support in Scotland will cripple Labour.

[Denzil_DC]

16. Scotland's vote has only changed the result of UK general elections 2 or 3 times since 1945.

And on a couple of those occasions, barely by one MP, so please stop spreading that misinformation. Labour already has to win in the rest of the UK in order to hold power.

This media-inspired opportunistic push has little to do with the referendum result, it's just the latest convenient trigger for the Blairite wing and the PLP, which has been plotting this since Corbyn got elected, and an already weak shadow cabinet (the reaction to most of these resignations in the UK would be "Who?&quot is being sucked along with it.

The same Blairites were willing Labour to perform badly in the local elections and by-elections earlier in the year. If it had, they'd have made their move then.

[muriel_volestrangler]

9. Vernon Coaker, shadow Northern Ireland secretary, has now resigned

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2016/jun/26/brexit-live-jeremy-corbyn-sacks-hilary-benn-tory-leadership?page=with:block-576ffad1e4b0f43038109eba#block-576ffad1e4b0f43038109eba

[totodeinhere]

10. Much of this is Corbin's own doing. His lackluster opposition to Brexit is being called one of the

major reasons why the Brexit vote passed. He failed to convince many Labour voters in northern England to oppose Brexit. And as a result we see the UK facing its biggest political crisis since the lead up to WWII. Both major political parties are in turmoil and nobody knows exactly where this will lead.

[muriel_volestrangler]

11. and Lord Falconer, shadow justice secretary

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2016/jun/26/brexit-live-jeremy-corbyn-sacks-hilary-benn-tory-leadership?page=with:block-577006d8e4b0f43038109ed9#block-577006d8e4b0f43038109ed9

[AntiBank]

13. Karl Turner, the shadow attorney general has said he has resigned “with a very heavy heart”.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2016/jun/26/brexit-live-jeremy-corbyn-sacks-hilary-benn-tory-leadership?page=with:block-577006d8e4b0f43038109ed9#block-577006d8e4b0f43038109ed9

Turner becomes the 10th member of Corbyn’s shadow cabinet to resign, following the sacking of Hilary Benn.

[muriel_volestrangler]

14. Chris Bryant, shadow leader of the Commons, resigns; Corbyn's statement

The statement:

Our country faces a huge challenge following Thursday’s vote to leave the European Union. And the British people have a right to know how their elected leaders are going to respond.

We need to come together to heal the divisions exposed by the vote. We have to respect the decision that has been made, hold the government to democratic account over its response, and ensure that working people don’t pay the price of exit.

Neither wing of the Tory government has an exit plan. Labour will now ensure that our reform agenda is at the heart of the negotiations that lie ahead. That includes the freedom to shape our economy for the future and the necessity of protecting social and employment rights.

One clear message from last Thursday’s vote is that millions of people feel shut out of a political and economic system that has let them down and scarred our country with grotesque levels of inequality.

I was elected by hundreds of thousands of Labour Party members and supporters with an overwhelming mandate for a different kind of politics.

I regret there have been resignations today from my shadow cabinet. But I am not going to betray the trust of those who voted for me – or the millions of supporters across the country who need Labour to represent them.

Those who want to change Labour’s leadership will have to stand in a democratic election, in which I will be a candidate.

Over the next 24 hours, I will reshape my shadow cabinet and announce a new leadership team to take forward Labour’s campaign for a fairer Britain - and to get the best deal with Europe for our people.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2016/jun/26/brexit-live-jeremy-corbyn-sacks-hilary-benn-tory-leadership?page=with:block-577040d8e4b0f43038109f35#block-577040d8e4b0f43038109f35