Suspended MPs: An ongoing problem for Labour

Good morning. On LabourList this morning, we have a new rolling list of all the MPs elected for Labour at the last election who are now sitting without the whip. There are nine of them, all in, and how the party deals with them will be of great interest both to members and residents in their seats. Some we know won’t be returning – notably Jeremy Corbyn (Keir Starmer has made his position on this clear, and has been backed up by an NEC vote), but also Conor McGinn (we’ve selected a candidate in his seat and he has resigned his party membership) and Claudia Webbe (who was convicted of harassment; we have also selected in her Leicester East seat).

The circumstances around the suspensions are not always made public. We have, for example, very little insight into why long-serving Labour chief whip Nick Brown no longer has the whip he policed for so long; at the other end of the spectrum, Diane Abbott and Andy McDonald were suspended for public comments that are freely available for study by anyone so inclined.

MPs can have the whip returned, as Neil Coyle did earlier this year. However, I personally think it’s likely that the majority of these MPs will not find themselves wearing a red rosette come polling day. ATimes report from early September suggested Labour would look to block MPs falling short of high standards by doing things like bullying their staff. But whether investigations are wrapped up by then and misconduct is proved or not, you’d imagine the party would rather not take the political risk of any issues blowing up in future – not least given their approach to selections to date.

LabourList event: What the autumn statement means for your high street

We’re delighted to announce not one but two events for you. First up – join us online this Wednesday afternoon to find out what the headlines and small print of the autumn statement – and Labour’s alternatives – mean for the high streets that form the backbone of so many communities. In partnership with The Shopkeepers’ Campaign, LabourList editor Tom Belger will be joined by Labour MPs James Murray, shadow financial secretary to the Treasury, Liz Twist, co-chair of the all-party parliamentary group on the future of retail, and expert guests from the retail industry including the British Retail Consortium’s Stephen Bethel. Tickets here.

LabourList x Strand Partners Christmas Party

Meanwhile the team behind the legendary LabourList karaoke bring you….the LabourList x Strand Partners Christmas Party on December 4.We’re fast approaching the season to be merry, and we thought – what better way to mark the count-down to Christmas than by bringing Labour folk together? We’ll have some festive tunes, a special festive cocktail on sale and special guests Jonathan Ashworth, Thangam Debbonaire, Anneliese Dodds, Louise Haigh and Emily Thornberry. We and advisory firm Strand Partners are co-hosting it at a wonderful SW1 venue in London – The Loose Box – and we’d love you to join us, from 6.30pm to 10.30pm. You can buy tickets here.