Diane Abbott: David Miliband is the Blairite candidate

Labour’s Equal marriage Bill amendment on Civil Partnerships

Labour MPs will be encouraged to back this amendment – rather than that of Tory backbencher Tim Loughton – today: House of Commons Monday 20 May 2013 CONSIDERATION OF BILL New Amendments handed in are marked thus * MARRIAGE (SAME SEX COUPLES) BILL MANUSCRIPT AMENDMENT (a) As an Amendment to Secretary Maria Miller’s proposed New Clause (Review of civil partnership) (NC16):- Kate Green (a)(a * Line 8, leave out from ‘practicable’ to end of Clause, and insert ‘and include a [...]

Is Ed Miliband picking a fight with Google?

By Mark Ferguson

In his interview with the Observer yesterday, Ed Miliband singled out Google as a company who aren’t “living up to their responsibilities” on tax, saying: ” I don’t think [Google] are living up to their responsibilities at the moment, and I will be very clear about that on Wednesday. It is part of a culture of irresponsibility. If everyone approaches their tax affairs as some of these companies have approached their tax affairs we wouldn’t have a health service, we wouldn’t [...]

Until Cameron spells out exactly what he wants to “renegotiate”, we’re all “Don’t Knows” on the Europe question

By Kevin Doran

The rift in the Conservative Party over the European Union has blown wide open and now threatens to consume the party in all-out civil war. Cameron’s set-piece speech on Europe where he announced that he would hold an In-Out Referendum by 2017 was supposed to put the matter to bed. It was a carefully thought-out calculation but instead of keeping euro-sceptics off his back, it has only fuelled the flames of dissent. Eur0-sceptic rebels in his parliamentary party have forced [...]

Eric Joyce threatens Falkirk by-election over “entryism” concerns – Media roundup: May 20th, 2013

Subscribers to our morning email get the best of LabourList – including the Media and blog round up – every weekday morning. If you were a subscriber you would have already received this in your inbox. You can sign up here. Eric Joyce threatens Falkirk by-election over “entryism” concerns “Labour could face a potentially damaging by-election in Falkirk unless it sorts out the controversies and confusions that have surrounded its selection process, party leaders were warned last night. Eric Joyce, the [...]

Why are the Tories putting a price on loving commitment?

By Mark Ferguson

So here we are again. Gay Marriage. Civil Partnerships. And a Tory rebellion. Except this time it’s different. Tim Loughton’s amendment calling for Civil Partnerships to be extended to heterosexual couples is being branded a “wrecking amendment” and could – bizarrely – see anti-gay rights Tories like David Jones voting the same way as staunch defenders of equal rights on the Labour benches. The argument being put forward by the Tory leadership is that granting such rights would delay the [...]