People are defending Howard Beckett after Labour suspends the Unite leadership candidate
The Canary UK

People are defending Howard Beckett after Labour suspends the Unite leadership candidate

A senior trade unionist has been suspended by Labour following a tweet about home secretary Priti Patel. Unite’s assistant general secretary Howard Beckett – who is standing for the leadership of the major union tweeted: “Priti Patel should be deported, not refugees. She can go along with anyone else who supports institutional racism. “She is disgusting.”. Apology Beckett made the remarks following protests in Glasgow over the detention of two men by Border Force officials. Beckett deleted his tweet and apologised for the wording: My earlier tweet, deleted after half an hour, was never intended to be literal. My intention was to emphasise that racist policies should be…

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13 May 2021
Labour MP Nadia Whittome nails the reason Boris Johnson wants to introduce voter ID
The Canary UK

Labour MP Nadia Whittome nails the reason Boris Johnson wants to introduce voter ID

The government has been slammed over its plans to introduce laws that will require voters to take an extra step at election time to make their voices heard. This is part of the government’s commitment to ‘renewing democracy’ and ‘ensuring the integrity of elections’ laid out in the queen’s speech on 11 May. The plans, which will require voters to have a form of ID, have been criticised for making it more difficult for people to use their right to vote. Labour MP Nadia Whittome nailed why the Tories want to introduce the measures: Requiring photo ID to vote when 1 in 4 don't have it will stop…

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12 May 2021
Labour leadership ‘tried to make Rayner carry the can’ after dismal elections
The Canary UK

Labour leadership ‘tried to make Rayner carry the can’ after dismal elections

Labour’s leadership tried to make Angela Rayner “carry the can” for poor local elections results, by firing her as party chair and elections co-ordinator, according to MP Diane Abbott. The former home secretary said there is a “problem with strategy” within the party. She urged unity from Keir Starmer, who has made changes to his top team amid criticism after the dismal results. Rachel Reeves has been promoted to shadow chancellor as part of the Labour leader’s reshuffle, with former incumbent Anneliese Dodds relegated to party chairman. Deputy leader Rayner was fired as party chairman and elections co-ordinator on Saturday, following Labour’s shock defeat in the Hartlepool by-election.…

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10 May 2021
Welsh Labour vows to be ‘radical and ambitious’ following surprising result
The Canary UK

Welsh Labour vows to be ‘radical and ambitious’ following surprising result

Mark Drakeford has vowed to be “radical” and “ambitious” in government as his party looks set to remain in power in Wales. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer has been accused of having no “vision”. Welsh Labour Labour has equalled its best ever Senedd election result by winning 30 seats – just one short of a majority – though it is not expected to take any of the remaining four regional seats left to be declared on 8 May. If it does not pick up any of the remaining seats, Drakeford can choose to form a minority government. Or, he may also invite members of other parties into a Labour-led administration,…

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8 May 2021
Greens gain and NIP struggle, but Labour decay is the election theme
The Canary UK

Greens gain and NIP struggle, but Labour decay is the election theme

The big battle in this round of elections was always going to be between the Conservatives and Labour in the Hartlepool by-election, a battle in which the Tories achieved a landslide win. However, smaller parties had mixed results. The Greens made some gains, as did the Liberal Democrats. The Northern Independence Party had a rough outing in its first electoral test. Lib Dems The Lib Dems, who have never looked the same since their stint in coalition with the Tories, won control of Stockport Council and took four seats from Labour in Sunderland. Liberal Democrats have become the biggest party on Stockport Council. pic.twitter.com/2BjkwYXbMc — Liberal Democrats (@LibDems)…

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7 May 2021
Voter apathy lost Labour Hartlepool, not Jeremy Corbyn
The Canary UK

Voter apathy lost Labour Hartlepool, not Jeremy Corbyn

The Tories won the Hartlepool by-election by a fairly large majority. The kickback within the Labour Party, along with possible analysis, has been swift. But the real story of the by-election was not that Labour lost because of Jeremy Corbyn’s legacy. It was that people in their thousands simply didn’t vote. Not that this problem is anything new. Hartlepool turned blue The result on the Hartlepool by-election that was held on 6 May was as follows: Hartlepool, parliamentary by-election result: Con: 51.9% (+23.0)Lab: 28.7% (-9.0)Ind: 9.7% (+7.5)RefUK: 1.2% (-24.6)Grn: 1.2% (+1.2)LDem: 1.2% (-3.0)Oth: 6.1% (+4.9) Con GAIN from Lab. — Britain Elects (@BritainElects) May 7, 2021 So, Labour…

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7 May 2021
Labour falls to ‘shattering’ defeat in Hartlepool by-election
The Canary UK

Labour falls to ‘shattering’ defeat in Hartlepool by-election

Keir Starmer’s hopes of leading a Labour revival have been dealt a crushing blow after the Tories romped to victory in the Hartlepool by-election. In a stunning result, the Conservatives took the seat – which had been Labour-held since it was formed in 1974 – with a majority of 6,940. Reaction pours in Shadow communities secretary Steve Reed admitted it was an “absolutely shattering” result as another brick in the party’s once impregnable “red wall” crumbled. (PA Graphics) Heavy defeat In a major boost for Boris Johnson, Conservative candidate Jill Mortimer gained 15,529 votes – more than half the total cast. Labour’s Paul Williams trailed on 8,589. (PA…

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7 May 2021
Keir Starmer set to lose Hartlepool for Labour for first time since seat contested in 1974
The Canary UK

Keir Starmer set to lose Hartlepool for Labour for first time since seat contested in 1974

Labour leader Keir Starmer has insisted the party is “fighting for every vote” in the Hartlepool by-election as an opinion poll showed the Tories opening up a double-digit lead in the constituency. 17 points ahead Ahead of the vote on 6 May, the Survation poll for ITV’s Good Morning Britain put the Conservatives on 50% – 17 points ahead of Labour in a seat it has held since it was created in 1974. Starmer, who has visited the constituency three times in the course of the by-election, said he hopes Labour will not lose another seat in the party’s so-called “red wall”. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today…

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4 May 2021
Welsh first minister’s opinion on independence shows Scottish Labour is out of touch
The Canary UK

Welsh first minister’s opinion on independence shows Scottish Labour is out of touch

On 24 April, Channel 4 News interviewed Welsh Labour leader Mark Drakeford. The interviewer put the scenario of Scottish independence to Drakeford. He then asked what effect, if any, Scottish independence could have on Wales: What happens if Scotland breaks away, and there’s a Conservative government not willing to concede any more powers to Wales? Would Welsh Labour be adopting a more pro-independence agenda in that scenario? Drakeford said there: are a lot of ‘ifs’ in that question… but if they were all true… then it would fundamentally alter the context of the debate for Wales But when Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar announced Labour’s manifesto on 22…

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25 April 2021
Labour seeks urgent answers over former aide’s allegations against Boris Johnson
The Canary UK

Labour seeks urgent answers over former aide’s allegations against Boris Johnson

Labour is reportedly calling for a senior minister to face questions in parliament this week over accusations former adviser Dominic Cummings has made against Boris Johnson. The Observer and the BBC report that the party is hoping to be granted an urgent question. It would summon the government to the House of Commons to account for allegations from Cummings. Allegations In an incendiary blog post, Cummings accused his former boss of plotting an “unethical, foolish, possibly illegal” plan. The plan was aimed at getting Tory donors to secretly fund a lavish refurbishment of Johnson’s Downing Street flat. Johnson’s fiancee Carrie Symonds has overseen the revamp, reported to have…

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25 April 2021