The Labour leader seeks to convince voters his party can be trusted – without sparking a rebellion from leftwing MPs
Keir Starmer has been accused of adopting an “abstention strategy”. This claim is denied by those close to the leadership, but you can see why it is being made: on two controversial government bills that have recently been presented to the House of Commons, as well as on disputed coronavirus rules such as the 10pm hospitality curfew, Labour MPs have been instructed not to vote at all. These whipping decisions have left Tory rebels confused or frustrated, as they cannot defeat the government without Starmer’s backing, and they have led to Labour losing 10 of its frontbenchers. Many party members are wondering whether this is lack of leadership, a clever long-term strategy, or timidity before an 80-seat Tory majority.
The overseas operations bill saw 18 Labour MPs defy the whip. The government-proposed legislation seeks to exempt British armed forces from prosecution for actions overseas. But the rebels, all drawn from the party’s left and including a number of key figures from the last leadership, argued that it would flout international human rights law and effectively decriminalise torture. The shadow cabinet member leading on this area, John Healey, basically agreed: he said it “creates the risk that the very gravest crimes go unpunished”, and called into question Britain’s “moral authority”. Yet Labour did not vote against the bill at second reading, and three junior shadow ministers lost their frontbench posts.
