As the third week of Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour government comes to an end, there’s certainly been a lot of change in town. From the party’s tone shift on private jets to the Culture Secretary’s volte face on the culture wars, the Labour party has proven it still has a penchant for U-turns. And in Westminster more specifically, with a parliamentary party of over 400 members, Starmer’s army is rather concerned with a change in MP discipline too. Steerpike has spent the last few weeks speaking to political newbies about how they’re getting on – and there have been more than a few grumblings…
Whipped into shape
Seven MPs have already had the Labour whip removed this week after supporting an SNP amendment to the King’s Speech over the two-child benefit cap. Newly-suspended Zarah Sultana took to the airwaves to publicly lambast the Labour lot for making her a victim of, um, a ‘macho virility test’ while former shadow chancellor John McDonnell turned to the Grauniad to vent in a lengthy op-ed. While many true Starmerites are hardly heartbroken by the suspensions, others worry the ‘unprecedented’ decision could lead to a culture of intolerance in the group. In the meantime, Independent MP Jeremy Corbyn has been quick to pen a letter to the affected group, pledging to work together in the face of a ‘shameful absence of moral leadership’. Good heavens…
Forward thinking
It hasn’t even been a month since polling day but already Labour MPs are casting their minds to the next election. ‘There’s no guarantee of 10 years,’ one new MP told Mr S. ‘We’ve got our sights set on 2029.’ It’s in keeping with the attitude of the Morgan McSweeney-founded, anti-Corbyn Labour Together group now chaired by Jonathan Ashworth – which, Mr S can reveal, started an 1,825-day countdown to the next election the moment the exit poll landed. Slightly more short-termist MPs have set their sights on the next three months, and Steerpike has been reliably informed that many have a ‘100-day countdown’ on the go instead. That level of organisation hasn’t quite impressed everyone, however. ‘It’s so embarrassing,’ one critical party insider scoffed. Ouch.
Serious staffing
Backbenchers don’t have parliamentary offices yet while others worry about finding constituency workspaces – and people to staff them. In a rather condescending notice sent to new Labour MPs, politicians were informed that staffing ‘will be one of your main concerns and it’s important to get this right’. Advised that there is ‘no need to rush into any decisions on hiring staff’, Starmer’s army encouraged the new group to find people ‘that suit your personality’. A website has been launched to help newbies hire from a central pool of Westminster wannabes, about which Labour’s notice screamed: ‘We would strongly advise you to use this service which will vet the candidates and create a shortlist ready for you to interview.’ Crikey.
Starmer’s mollycoddling hasn’t been universally well accepted, with one insider from north of the border remarking: ‘It’s really not the style of the Scottish Labour party.’ There are still over 200 Labour jobs left unfilled and while some MPs are more relaxed than others about it – ‘If I can make three hires by recess, I’m happy,’ one said – desperation is making others downright naive. One Scottish Labour MP even earnestly asked Steerpike for hiring recommendations. It’s not, um, the best display of political nous…
Best behaviour
While Starmer’s army is making sure Labour MPs have undergone rigorous training on what is and isn’t an appropriate way to behave in parliament, others are worried that Labour’s ‘serious government’ agenda has already made Westminster ‘much more boring’. Frequenters of parliament’s bars bemoaned the comparative lack of politicians post-election while one party source rather surprisingly lamented the loss of the Tories: ‘They were always up for a good time – the new MPs just want to talk shop.’ All work, no play…
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