‘Winter fuel debate: Second rebellion in the PLP – where is this going?’

Yesterday’s vote on the Tory motion on the abolition of universal winter fuel payments (yes we are know the cheek of them daring to lecture anyone on the issue of poverty!) saw a significant number of abstentions from Labour MPs and Jon Trickett voting against the government alongside five of the seven Labour MPs who were suspended for six months for voting against the continuation of the two child benefit cap in the King’s Speech.

So how have we got here so early into a Labour government with a massive majority?

Many of us pounded the streets this year to get rid of the Tories and elect a Labour government for the first time in 14 years. The theme of the campaign was change. Well it’s only been ten weeks, so I guess we have to reserve some judgement but we have seen some key issues already which probably give us an idea about where the next few years will go.

Let’s be clear – governing isn’t easy, events move plans on quickly and choices always have to be made. Anyone who has been involved in helping run a council or a trade union knows compromises and pragmatic decisions are made even under left leaderships. Not everything can happen in the ideal way.

But unlike a council or a trade union running the government is different to the extent that many more levers are available to you. So the line that says ‘we have no choice because of the mess left by Truss/Sunak’ doesn’t really hold up to much scrutiny.

There is a choice because those who earn the most both as individuals and as big companies could be taxed more. The fact that the Labour leadership don’t want to do this is a political choice.

READ MORE: Winter fuel payment cuts vote: Live updates as MPs vote down rebels

Labour MPs were elected on a change manifesto not a continuation of austerity manifesto. However even though I suspect a majority of the PLP feel some of these initial economic decisions – keeping the 2 child cap & ending universal winter fuel payments to pensioners – are wrong, they won’t rebel and vote it down.

Why is this? Well the power of the leadership is very strong, many people are rightly very happy that we have the first Labour government for 14 years and want to allow the leadership the scope to set the agenda & not rock the boat. This has been escalated by the first rebellion by seven more established left Labour MPs in July who were immediately suspended for six months for voting against the King’s Speech on the two child benefit cap issue.

Many MPs – even the remaining left ones – don’t want to be out in the cold. Some will say this is from a careerist stand point eg wanting to be able to move into a ministerial position at some point, but for most they probably just feel tactically it’s best to stay in the PLP and build for future battles.

Picking the right battles

The leadership have picked these battles early on maybe even to try to drive out some left MPs – so there needs to be some real discussion on the left as to what is the best tactics. Having the seven suspended MPs become 30 or even 40 suspended MPs might excite those who want to form a new left of Labour party but would leave the right learning leadership with hardly any opposition in the PLP.

So why are those other left MPs trying to stay in and not get suspended – well I suspect they are wanting to push (and support) the government in areas where some good progress is being made eg public sector pay rises, a new deal for workers rights and the repeal of (some) anti union laws, the return of rail to public ownership, a bus revolution, a green energy plan which could make a massive difference to both the environment and hopefully energy bills.

This desire led to a large group of them abstaining on the winter fuel payment vote rather than vote against and risk losing the whip.

READ MORE: Sign up to our must-read daily briefing email on all things Labour

So yes it’s complex. But it’s also depressing. I’ve fought for 14 years to get rid of the Tories and I didn’t do it to have to do immediate battle on issues around child and pensioner poverty. But we are where we are and I’m not naive either – I didn’t vote for Starmer for leader as I suspected his left rhetoric at the time was an act.

It’s no comfort to be proved right. I’m holding out to see if there will be some real relief for councils who desperately need more funds but the initial economic arguments don’t look good and could well be used to ‘justify’ a lack of support for councils too.

I hope those new MPs in the PLP find their voice – even if it is initially an internal voice – to stand up for a brighter future and a real change.

As Rosie Duffield MP told Sky News immediately after the vote on why she abstained – “I can’t vote to make people poorer” – if the budget builds in more cuts will the numbers abstaining and voting against the government increase.

I certainly think so.