Party Lines: October 19th

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

Much of today’s coverage revolved around today’s Strategic Defence and Security Review, with Jim Murphy leading the charge against the proposals. Ahead of tomorrow’s Comprehensive Spending Review, Douglas Alexander has been holding the government to account over leaked reports that suggest rising unemployment. And Ken Livingstone has affirmed his support for Labour’s Helal Abbas ahead of Thursday’s Tower Hamlets mayoral election.

Jim Murphy, Labour’s shadow defence secretary, appeared on the Daily Politics today, and sought to make it clear that decisions in the Strategic Defence and Security Review were being taken on a financial basis, rather than a strategic one:

“The general problem with the approach that we’ve got today is that this isn’t a proper horizon scan of the threats the country now faces… the debate we should be having is what is Britain’s role in the world?”

“The Labour party and the Conservatives were committed to having a strategic defence review, but this wasn’t a defence review… this was a spending review.”

Douglas Alexander responded to pictures of the Danny Alexander (chief secretary to the treasury) holding documents showing nearly half a million jobs would be lost under the coalition’s plans, said:

“The Tories and the Liberal Democrats still seem to think unemployment is a price worth paying. They are planning to put people out of work far faster than the private sector can create jobs for them to go to.”

“The risk is that this will make reducing the deficit even more painful, as more and more money is spent on higher unemployment bills.”

Responding to the controversy over his appearance with independent candidate Lutfur Rahman yesterday, Ken Livingstone has released the following statement:

“I am disappointed by the way the NEC handled the selection in Tower Hamlets and I am sure that under Ed Miliband’s leadership things would have been handled differently.”

“However, my position is clear: I fully support Labour candidates in all elections and I am calling for Tower Hamlets residents to use their first preference vote for our candidate Helal Abbas.”

“A second preference should be used for Lutfur Rahman to keep the Tories out.”