The Queen’s Speech debate is drawing to a close in the Commons, but it’s not been without rancour.
This afternoon Labour MP Ian Austin referred to a Tory opponent as “the idiot from Bournemouth”. He was forced to apologise by the Deputy Speaker Dawn Primarolo – although he apologised to her, not the Tory MP in question. Here’s the exchange:
Well no can say that they weren’t warned! LabourList has been a consistent Cassandra warning of the implications of the rushed and ill considered introduction of Individual Electoral Registration (IER) by the Electoral Commission. So congratulations to Ed Milliband for raising the alarm over the slump in the level of registration amongst students in halls of residence. Let’s hope the combined efforts of local councils, political parties and civic campaigns such as Bite the Ballot can restore as many of […]
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After a week featuring several critical interventions from Labour figures over plans for the NHS, the papers today see a couple of uncomfortable truths for David Cameron from close to home. The Observer reveals that Tory MP and ex-health minister Stephen Dorrell thinks that the NHS reforms have been the biggest mistake of the Coalition Government. They report: Asked if he regards the Health and Social Care Act of 2012, driven through the Commons by Andrew Lansley in the face […]
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The Mail on Sunday run with attacks on Ed Miliband today, including quotes from major Labour backer John Mills where he appears sceptical of a Mansion Tax and seems to side with Alan Milburn’s comments on the NHS this week. Mills, who has donated £1.5million to the Labour Party, has dismissed the story as “pure mischief making” and said they had used “highly selective and misleading quotes” for the story. The business leader admits he would prefer the widening of […]
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Labour’s election co-ordinator Douglas Alexander has set out the three priorities for the party’s national campaign over the next three weeks. He says Labour won’t run a personality-led campaign (pledging not to feature Cameron on any of their posters), that Labour are willing to take part in TV debates, and that the aim to have four million conversations with voters will be at the heart of the campaign. This kind of “memo” to supporters is not completely new (the last […]
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Ricky Henderson has been selected as the to fight the Edinburgh South West seat as the Labour candidate for this year’s election. The seat is being vacated by retiring former Chancellor and Better Together chair Alistair Darling, who has been an MP since 1987. Ricky Henderson, 53, has been a councillor in Edinburgh for 16 years. Speaking after the selection tonight, he said: “I am absolutely delighted to have been chosen to succeed Alistair Darling as Labour’s candidate. He will […]
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