Democracy Diaries: How Starmer, The Control-freak could lose the next election?

Keir Starmer in his government’s first legislative vote; his first as Prime Minister was held this week on the matter of maintaining the two child benefit cap which Labour are in favour of this was a motion from the SNP and supported by Liberal Democrats as the majority voter, the Green Party, Plaid Cymru and northern Irish parties SDLP, the Alliance Party. Starmer has enacted his first lethal act of ruthlessness that is mind-blowing bonkers for a new Prime Minister with a majority that nearly matches majority of 2001 that now is 411 MPs in parliament has suspended 7 of it’s MPs. The seven MPs he has suspended the labour parliamentary whip from are associated with the Corbyn era of the labour party which preceded Starmer’s leadership possibly extending his severance with the left of labour. Has Starmer set a dangerous precedent?

To be frank I was shocked how few of Labours new intake rebelled on this opposition amendment to this issue of the Kings Speech put forward by the SNP and in Starmer’s first Prime Ministers question time leader of the SNPs 9 MPs in Westminster parliament losing out to Labour and the Liberal Democrats but more so the Labour Party Stephen Flynn addressed Starmer and the new intake of Labour MPs of how they aren’t backing the interests of children in poverty. This first vote laments Starmer’s approach as a leader in government leading from his head to a fault. His risk adverse strategy might be what makes his danger lies when risk adverse turns to being ruthless as a rule maker and not a vote maker.

Starmer could’ve survived and taken this minuscule sized rebellion with such serious ramifications that may not entice Rebecca Long-Bailey, John McDonnell, Ian Byrne, Zarah Sultana, Apsana Begum, Imran Hussain and Richard Burgeon back into the party after their minimum of six months suspension from the parliamentary labour party in which they still can retain a registered member of the labour party but an independent MP now putting them along side Jeremy Corbyn in the group of parliament independents. Some of those in this group were in Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet and most if not all were and are supporters of Jeremy Corbyn and what his politics stand for. Starmer was in Corbyn’s shadow cabinet with executing an expulsion of Jeremy Corbyn from the Labour Party and moving away from the left fringe of the labour party; I know Starmer knows these people share more in common with Corbyn than himself this could be a moment less about the politics of the child benefit cap that lead to extreme punishment but of the nature of their own political leniences of not fitting his image of the Labour Party and with great power at the start of his tenure he maybe trying to push out MPs who’d become chronic trouble makers.

With a hostile approach and like the right under the last fourteen years of conservative government has seen the growth of far right movements which have become apparent across the rest of the world with conservativism being taken over by cults of populism that echoes racist and xenophobic dog-whistles from La Pen, Trump and here in the United Kingdom Nigel Farage. It’s Nigel Farage’s Reform that could is a growing movement amongst young voters under 30 more of those younger voters voted Reform than Conservatives and of many constituencies that Labour won over Reform came in second place. In five years time Starmer could have much to worry about from the right but could have much more to worry from the left if he loses grip on Labour’s socialists who could form their own movement or party or join up with the Green Party of which could please certain demographics and could’ve been the outcome of when Jeremy Corbyn left Labour and launched his own pressure and campaign group the Peace and Justice group which could’ve been the foundations for a new party that never formed or not yet.

Swiftly a day on from the suspension of the seven rebel MPs Corbyn launched an attack and his own attempt of launching revenge political war-fare form a new ‘rebel alliance’ of left wing trouble makers writing them to work and collaborate on shared interests from child poverty to Gaza. His sights on his next act of rebellion the budget seeking a similar rebel strategy of Farage to be a ‘bloody nuisance’ and ‘kick up a fuss’ where both Farage and Corbyn’s movements can find cut-through with young voters. Will Corbyn eye up fellow allies of other rebels within this super-majority government mother of the house Dianne Abott, Clive Lewis and Nadia Wittombe could be possible names.

But, Begum how fustrated may want a route back into the Labour Party describing her rebellion vote as a supporting a labour commitment with voting for an amendment as the King Speech gets voted through the houses of commons and described the suspension as ‘draconian’ and was hurt by it from what she said to Times Radio. A broadcaster on the station wondered for with the British media press leaning right where the powers of the backbench opposition and the smaller factions and movement could lean to for exposure.

I can most understand some peoples logic as a convincing defence of why it was imperative to the governments plan that now is not the time to scrap the two child benefit cap as it is something that people in the party do support but find the timing isn’t right with the state of the governments finances being destroyed by a stagnant economy and over a decade of austerity where little in the pocket tough decisions need to be made until the government can accumulate the finances to fund such policies that they haven’t budgeted for as it proclaims all of what it spends for now has been fully costed. This is after the losses of votes under Jeremy Corbyn and how Corbyn’s labour party failed to be electable was on an incredible fantasist economic plan that was undeliverable. It makes sense to not make promises you cant keep. Starmer cash-strapped with a budget left in tatters by the Tory government maybe damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t politically Corbyn and the SNP may in the long term get what they wanted. But what labour needs to do make the difficult economic decisions urgently and raise the governments pockets to give people hope of how people will judge their government record with improvements in their life on the basics of jobs, money in our wallet, health and social care quality if he doesn’t see the economic growing in near future without making tax reforms his chances of winning in five years time could be diminished.