?EXCLUSIVE: Rosie Duffield (@RosieDuffield1) has resigned as a Labour MP, blaming Sir Keir Starmer’s “cruel and unnecessary” policies and the freebies row that is engulfing him and his party
So what’s Duffield’s end game here? It feels odd to do this so soon after an election and at the first bad news for the government. Yes she’s always had differences with figures in Labour but that wouldn’t have precluded her from being a serial rebel inside the party.
So what’s Duffield’s end game here? It feels odd to do this so soon after an election and at the first bad news for the government. Yes she’s always had differences with figures in Labour but that wouldn’t have precluded her from being a serial rebel inside the party.
Well if you do it *before* the election your chances of being elected go down quite sharply...
So what’s Duffield’s end game here? It feels odd to do this so soon after an election and at the first bad news for the government. Yes she’s always had differences with figures in Labour but that wouldn’t have precluded her from being a serial rebel inside the party.
Another curious thing.
If the aim is to hurt the leadership- and by golly, that's the tone of the letter- wouldn't before/during the conference have been the time to resign?
What are her overall politics? I know she likes the biological sex model of male and female, and dislikes Starmer. Where does she sit on the left-right axis? Is she Team Jeremy?
So what’s Duffield’s end game here? It feels odd to do this so soon after an election and at the first bad news for the government. Yes she’s always had differences with figures in Labour but that wouldn’t have precluded her from being a serial rebel inside the party.
So what’s Duffield’s end game here? It feels odd to do this so soon after an election and at the first bad news for the government. Yes she’s always had differences with figures in Labour but that wouldn’t have precluded her from being a serial rebel inside the party.
She's clearly not going to join the MP for Islington and Gaza's little bloc, but given some of the, er, views she is most renowned for, is there a chance she joins Reform on an "enemy of my enemy is my friend' style transfer?
For the record - I disagree with her views but as a libertarian would defend to the death her right to voice them. The violence and threats she has been subjected to as a result of those views are utterly unacceptable in a polite society, or a Parliamentary democracy.
So what’s Duffield’s end game here? It feels odd to do this so soon after an election and at the first bad news for the government. Yes she’s always had differences with figures in Labour but that wouldn’t have precluded her from being a serial rebel inside the party.
New party bankrolled by JK Rowling?
Doubtful. There isn't going to be a separate party for traditionally minded moderate unwoke non graduate socialists who don't speak in riddles, and think the poor should be favoured over the rich and that politics is unfashionable service.
We called it the Labour party, and it is too soon for a new one.
“The sleaze, the nepotism and the apparent avarice are off the scale. I am so ashamed of what you and your inner circle has done to tarnish and humiliate our once proud party”
So what’s Duffield’s end game here? It feels odd to do this so soon after an election and at the first bad news for the government. Yes she’s always had differences with figures in Labour but that wouldn’t have precluded her from being a serial rebel inside the party.
She's clearly not going to join the MP for Islington and Gaza's little bloc, but given some of the, er, views she is most renowned for, is there a chance she joins Reform on an "enemy of my enemy is my friend' style transfer?
For the record - I disagree with her views but as a libertarian would defend to the death her right to voice them. The violence and threats she has been subjected to as a result of those views are utterly unacceptable in a polite society, or a Parliamentary democracy.
Glad that that cute curly-haired doggie AND faithful human companion, IanB2 of PB, are both safe and above water (currently anyway).
One interesting feature of flash flooding & aftermath caused by Helene, is that due to the interesting topography AND hydrology of western North Carolina, is that some of the floodwater will eventually make it's way to rivers that flow into the Atlantic - for example, the James River of Virginia where Dog and his pal Ian are currently bobbing on their houseboat.
While the rest (that doesn't end up in local water table) will flow (mostly) westward into the Tennessee, Ohio and mighty Mississippi; for example, the French Broad which flows through (and now over) Ashville on its way ACROSS the mountains to Knoxville and the Tennessee RIver.
"“The sleaze, nepotism and apparent avarice are off the scale. I am so ashamed of what you and your inner circle have done to tarnish and humiliate our once proud party” | ✍️
That is the most savage resignation letter I have ever seen. I do not believe this is because she is so suddenly shocked by griftgate and The free-frockalypse. However she has cannily used those to great effect - "shameful avarice"
There must now be a decent chance Starmer goes. Not a big chance, but no longer vanishingly small
Bit early for an MP defection really, as Leon notes it's more of an 'in power for 10 years' thing, but an atypical individual situation. Kind of feels like she would have done it before, but needed to get re-elected first. I'm sure her views are sincere, but has that much changed about the party since taking power? Yes, the gifts business, but that's the sort of thing you protest, not quit, unless there's more fundamental stuff.
As kyf_100 suggests, doesn't seem like she'd be a good fit for Cotbyn and the Gaza Bros. Long term independent I reckon.
"“The sleaze, nepotism and apparent avarice are off the scale. I am so ashamed of what you and your inner circle have done to tarnish and humiliate our once proud party” | ✍️
So what’s Duffield’s end game here? It feels odd to do this so soon after an election and at the first bad news for the government. Yes she’s always had differences with figures in Labour but that wouldn’t have precluded her from being a serial rebel inside the party.
Another curious thing.
If the aim is to hurt the leadership- and by golly, that's the tone of the letter- wouldn't before/during the conference have been the time to resign?
What are her overall politics? I know she likes the biological sex model of male and female, and dislikes Starmer. Where does she sit on the left-right axis? Is she Team Jeremy?
That is the most savage resignation letter I have ever seen. I do not believe this is because she is so suddenly shocked by griftgate and The free-frockalypse. However she has cannily used those to great effect - "shameful avarice"
There must now be a decent chance Starmer goes. Not a big chance, but no longer vanishingly small
Bit early for an MP defection really, as Leon notes it's more of an 'in power for 10 years' thing, but an atypical individual situation. Kind of feels like she would have done it before, but needed to get re-elected first. I'm sure her views are sincere, but has that much changed about the party since taking power?
As kyf_100 suggests, doesn't seem like she'd be a good fit for Cotbyn and the Gaza Bros. Long term independent I reckon.
But it comes at the worst possible moment for Starmer, when he is rocked daily by the grift allegations
It feels relentless, and again I wonder if it is in some way co-ordinated to destabilise him, and ultimately remove him
Sounds like there's an organized faction within Labour that has seriously decided to topple Sir Keir. Presumably the feeling is that he got lucky at the GE, won't get lucky again so best to be rid now. For Labour that's unusually brutal. Have they become so hardened and ruthless after a string of duff leaders that they won't now tolerate one who seems just a bit mediocre, even when he's given them a massive majority?
So what’s Duffield’s end game here? It feels odd to do this so soon after an election and at the first bad news for the government. Yes she’s always had differences with figures in Labour but that wouldn’t have precluded her from being a serial rebel inside the party.
Rosie Duffield is joining the growing number of hard alt-right groups and individuals - such as Unite and the Guardian - who are talking up a non-existent scandal.
That is the most savage resignation letter I have ever seen. I do not believe this is because she is so suddenly shocked by griftgate and The free-frockalypse. However she has cannily used those to great effect - "shameful avarice"
There must now be a decent chance Starmer goes. Not a big chance, but no longer vanishingly small
Popcorn!
She's had a long running 'feud' with Starmer over the trans/what is a woman issue but she also seems highly pissed off (like most of the PLP) about the WFA and the two child cap brutality.
Bit early for an MP defection really, as Leon notes it's more of an 'in power for 10 years' thing, but an atypical individual situation. Kind of feels like she would have done it before, but needed to get re-elected first. I'm sure her views are sincere, but has that much changed about the party since taking power?
As kyf_100 suggests, doesn't seem like she'd be a good fit for Cotbyn and the Gaza Bros. Long term independent I reckon.
But it comes at the worst possible moment for Starmer, when he is rocked daily by the grift allegations
It feels relentless, and again I wonder if it is in some way co-ordinated to destabilise him, and ultimately remove him
I did not vote for you to lead our party for reasons I won’t describe in detail here. But, as someone elevated immediately to a shadow cabinet position without following the usual path of honing your political skills on the backbenches, you had very little previous political footprint
I find this bit the more interesting part of the letter, because as far as political attacks go it is not one which the public at large probably care about at all, or are even much aware of. But I have noted before just how quickly Starmer was put into a senior position, he was even floated as a leadership candidate weeks after first becoming an MP. Even more than Sunak, he had no experience of backbench life.
In modern times those who make it to the top appear to need to get there quickly, even if in shadow positions, and it is interesting that Duffield has chosen to call that sort of thing out specifically.
So what’s Duffield’s end game here? It feels odd to do this so soon after an election and at the first bad news for the government. Yes she’s always had differences with figures in Labour but that wouldn’t have precluded her from being a serial rebel inside the party.
Rosie Duffield is joining the growing number of hard alt-right groups and individuals - such as Unite and the Guardian - who are talking up a non-existent scandal.
Bit early for an MP defection really, as Leon notes it's more of an 'in power for 10 years' thing, but an atypical individual situation. Kind of feels like she would have done it before, but needed to get re-elected first. I'm sure her views are sincere, but has that much changed about the party since taking power?
As kyf_100 suggests, doesn't seem like she'd be a good fit for Cotbyn and the Gaza Bros. Long term independent I reckon.
But it comes at the worst possible moment for Starmer, when he is rocked daily by the grift allegations
It feels relentless, and again I wonder if it is in some way co-ordinated to destabilise him, and ultimately remove him
Everything the left said about Keir Starmer and his allies - for which we were mocked and vilified - will end up not only vindicated, but become the consensus view.
This soulless project is stuffed full of malign self-advancing careerists.
Bit early for an MP defection really, as Leon notes it's more of an 'in power for 10 years' thing, but an atypical individual situation. Kind of feels like she would have done it before, but needed to get re-elected first. I'm sure her views are sincere, but has that much changed about the party since taking power?
As kyf_100 suggests, doesn't seem like she'd be a good fit for Cotbyn and the Gaza Bros. Long term independent I reckon.
But it comes at the worst possible moment for Starmer, when he is rocked daily by the grift allegations
It feels relentless, and again I wonder if it is in some way co-ordinated to destabilise him, and ultimately remove him
Truss was gift to Labour
Rosie gift to all Labour’s opponents
You need some perspective.
Rosie Duffield, a nondescript backbench MP most of the public couldn't pick out or the Prime Minister who spooked the markets and lost to a lettuce?
Bit early for an MP defection really, as Leon notes it's more of an 'in power for 10 years' thing, but an atypical individual situation. Kind of feels like she would have done it before, but needed to get re-elected first. I'm sure her views are sincere, but has that much changed about the party since taking power?
As kyf_100 suggests, doesn't seem like she'd be a good fit for Cotbyn and the Gaza Bros. Long term independent I reckon.
But it comes at the worst possible moment for Starmer, when he is rocked daily by the grift allegations
It feels relentless, and again I wonder if it is in some way co-ordinated to destabilise him, and ultimately remove him
Everything the left said about Keir Starmer and his allies - for which we were mocked and vilified - will end up not only vindicated, but become the consensus view.
This soulless project is stuffed full of malign self-advancing careerists.
Disappointing, but Labour have no option but to take the responsibility of running the country seriously - and that is going to piss off lots of people, in the short term.
So what’s Duffield’s end game here? It feels odd to do this so soon after an election and at the first bad news for the government. Yes she’s always had differences with figures in Labour but that wouldn’t have precluded her from being a serial rebel inside the party.
Another curious thing.
If the aim is to hurt the leadership- and by golly, that's the tone of the letter- wouldn't before/during the conference have been the time to resign?
What are her overall politics? I know she likes the biological sex model of male and female, and dislikes Starmer. Where does she sit on the left-right axis? Is she Team Jeremy?
Wow, what a letter. I saw Rod Liddle being interviewed on some channel or other and he said that Starmer wont be PM for long. I remember thinking that a ridiculous statement, but now?....
Disappointing, but Labour have no option but to take the responsibility of running the country seriously - and that is going to piss off lots of people, in the short term.
Wow, what a letter. I saw Rod Liddle being interviewed on some channel or other and he said that Starmer wont be PM for long. I remember thinking that a ridiculous statement, but now?....
Social media is promising more Starmer relevations. IF that is true - big if - then what are they? The PM is now tottering
Quite incredible, after just 3 months and with a 170 seat majority
IS it within realm of possibility (if not of KCIII) that Rosie Duffield's epic resignation/repudiation of the Labour whip, is really a cunning conspiracy by The Blog and it's henchpeople low & high, to confuse and mislead the anti-Woke Blogophobes?
Bit early for an MP defection really, as Leon notes it's more of an 'in power for 10 years' thing, but an atypical individual situation. Kind of feels like she would have done it before, but needed to get re-elected first. I'm sure her views are sincere, but has that much changed about the party since taking power?
As kyf_100 suggests, doesn't seem like she'd be a good fit for Cotbyn and the Gaza Bros. Long term independent I reckon.
But it comes at the worst possible moment for Starmer, when he is rocked daily by the grift allegations
It feels relentless, and again I wonder if it is in some way co-ordinated to destabilise him, and ultimately remove him
Truss was gift to Labour
Rosie gift to all Labour’s opponents
You need some perspective.
Rosie Duffield, a nondescript backbench MP most of the public couldn't pick out or the Prime Minister who spooked the markets and lost to a lettuce?
We will see but you cannot deny this is a gift to Labour’s opponents
Starmer is trending on twitter now, but nothing to do with his policies or premiership. Though from my point of view his private life is his own as long as legal
Bit early for an MP defection really, as Leon notes it's more of an 'in power for 10 years' thing, but an atypical individual situation. Kind of feels like she would have done it before, but needed to get re-elected first. I'm sure her views are sincere, but has that much changed about the party since taking power?
As kyf_100 suggests, doesn't seem like she'd be a good fit for Cotbyn and the Gaza Bros. Long term independent I reckon.
But it comes at the worst possible moment for Starmer, when he is rocked daily by the grift allegations
It feels relentless, and again I wonder if it is in some way co-ordinated to destabilise him, and ultimately remove him
Truss was gift to Labour
Rosie gift to all Labour’s opponents
You need some perspective.
Rosie Duffield, a nondescript backbench MP most of the public couldn't pick out or the Prime Minister who spooked the markets and lost to a lettuce?
We will see but you cannot deny this is a gift to Labour’s opponents
@TheScreamingEagles would be correct if otherwise all was calm in the Labour camp
But it is not. This is like another hefty punch to a man already on the ropes with one eye badly cut
So what’s Duffield’s end game here? It feels odd to do this so soon after an election and at the first bad news for the government. Yes she’s always had differences with figures in Labour but that wouldn’t have precluded her from being a serial rebel inside the party.
Well if you do it *before* the election your chances of being elected go down quite sharply...
Exactly. Duffield gets to be a non-Labour MP on a Labour ticket when she wouldn't otherwise be elected. Labour puts off a damaging row until after the election. The win/win is so powerful it's hard to imagine it wasn't premeditated on both sides. The pages long rant that is her resignation letter doesn't scream sudden change of mind either.
Bit early for an MP defection really, as Leon notes it's more of an 'in power for 10 years' thing, but an atypical individual situation. Kind of feels like she would have done it before, but needed to get re-elected first. I'm sure her views are sincere, but has that much changed about the party since taking power?
As kyf_100 suggests, doesn't seem like she'd be a good fit for Cotbyn and the Gaza Bros. Long term independent I reckon.
But it comes at the worst possible moment for Starmer, when he is rocked daily by the grift allegations
It feels relentless, and again I wonder if it is in some way co-ordinated to destabilise him, and ultimately remove him
Truss was gift to Labour
Rosie gift to all Labour’s opponents
You need some perspective.
Rosie Duffield, a nondescript backbench MP most of the public couldn't pick out or the Prime Minister who spooked the markets and lost to a lettuce?
We will see but you cannot deny this is a gift to Labour’s opponents
TheScreamingEagles would be correct if otherwise all was calm in the Labour camp
But it is not. This is like another hefty punch to a man already on the ropes with one eye badly cut
Parties have glass jaws thesedays, they usually run from confrontations even when they are strong, and fear even a light blow. Having chosen to try a few actual tough things (and made some stupid errors), they will need to learn how to roll with the punches again.
Bit early for an MP defection really, as Leon notes it's more of an 'in power for 10 years' thing, but an atypical individual situation. Kind of feels like she would have done it before, but needed to get re-elected first. I'm sure her views are sincere, but has that much changed about the party since taking power?
As kyf_100 suggests, doesn't seem like she'd be a good fit for Cotbyn and the Gaza Bros. Long term independent I reckon.
But it comes at the worst possible moment for Starmer, when he is rocked daily by the grift allegations
It feels relentless, and again I wonder if it is in some way co-ordinated to destabilise him, and ultimately remove him
Truss was gift to Labour
Rosie gift to all Labour’s opponents
You need some perspective.
Rosie Duffield, a nondescript backbench MP most of the public couldn't pick out or the Prime Minister who spooked the markets and lost to a lettuce?
We will see but you cannot deny this is a gift to Labour’s opponents
@TheScreamingEagles would be correct if otherwise all was calm in the Labour camp
But it is not. This is like another hefty punch to a man already on the ropes with one eye badly cut
No, it would have been more destabilising if she had resigned a week ago or even last Tuesday/Wednesday as it would have dominated the Labour Party conference.
The next fortnight is going to be dominated by the Tory conference then voting in the leadership contest.
This was posted on TwiX ten days ago. Now seems very prescient
"NEW: Labour insider tells me that the party is an absolute binfire at the top. "Now they have hounded the left out the party they have turned on each other. This time it is over money but a load of other stuff is going to get leaked over the next few weeks""
Starmer should just quit already, he's already almost doubled Truss's tally, and after such a powerhouse time as PM from her who needs longer than that?
Wow, what a letter. I saw Rod Liddle being interviewed on some channel or other and he said that Starmer wont be PM for long. I remember thinking that a ridiculous statement, but now?....
Social media is promising more Starmer relevations. IF that is true - big if - then what are they? The PM is now tottering
Quite incredible, after just 3 months and with a 170 seat majority
Social Media always promises but never delivers when it comes to these things
If there are all these skeletons in the closet for SKS why didn’t they come out before.
People on twitter need to be careful. Jenny Chapman has already received damages for an untrue allegation re her and SKS. Others may well end up suing.
Bit early for an MP defection really, as Leon notes it's more of an 'in power for 10 years' thing, but an atypical individual situation. Kind of feels like she would have done it before, but needed to get re-elected first. I'm sure her views are sincere, but has that much changed about the party since taking power?
As kyf_100 suggests, doesn't seem like she'd be a good fit for Cotbyn and the Gaza Bros. Long term independent I reckon.
But it comes at the worst possible moment for Starmer, when he is rocked daily by the grift allegations
It feels relentless, and again I wonder if it is in some way co-ordinated to destabilise him, and ultimately remove him
Truss was gift to Labour
Rosie gift to all Labour’s opponents
You need some perspective.
Rosie Duffield, a nondescript backbench MP most of the public couldn't pick out or the Prime Minister who spooked the markets and lost to a lettuce?
We will see but you cannot deny this is a gift to Labour’s opponents
@TheScreamingEagles would be correct if otherwise all was calm in the Labour camp
But it is not. This is like another hefty punch to a man already on the ropes with one eye badly cut
No, it would have been more destabilising if she had resigned a week ago or even last Tuesday/Wednesday as it would have dominated the Labour Party conference.
The next fortnight is going to be dominated by the Tory conference then voting in the leadership contest.
Equally, you could argue that this is great timing for the Tories. Labour might have been hoping to point and laugh at the feeble candidates, now they will be consumed by this. Meanwhile at their conference the Tories will have a real pep. The government is imploding so fast the Tories really will have a chance of winning next time, despite the huge Labour majority
Delicious. THAT letter is why we all love politics!
Canterbury made history when its voters elected their first woman, and only non-Conservative, MP since the seat was created in the thirteenth century.
Blimey, I had no idea the Conservative Party had such deep roots. Natural party of government indeed.
Since the Conservative Party didn't exist until at least 1679 the second part can't be true.
Soem people have argued the roots of political parties began with some of the political 'interests' during the civil war parliaments and the army factions in the 1650s, but that always struck me as reaching a bit too far from the loose affiliations of the time.
But I suspect she was not arguing that case, but just allowing her sense of drama to arrive at a confused sounding claim.
Is it also possible - indeed maybe likely - that Duffield's departure from the ranks of the NewNew Labour majority, is at least in part inspired by the initial splash made in Germany by a new(er) political party, namely Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance).
BSW being (as I understand it) fiscally leftwing but socially righwing? AND is that where Rosie Duffield is coming from?
For what it's worth (maybe 2-cents Canadian?) in la belle province of Quebec, the Coalition Avenir Québec (Coalition for the Future of Quebec) which is the governing party in the National Assemby (=Quebec legislature), and has been eating the lunch of the pro-independence Parti Québécois for some time. CAQ being pro-autonomist (in the classic Quebec tradition) but NOT leftwing.
Have thought for some time, that there MIGHT be some appeal to such a party in Scotland someday in the not-to-distant future?
Starmer should just quit already, he's already almost doubled Truss's tally, and after such a powerhouse time as PM from her who needs longer than that?
That Wikipedia entry's horribly inaccurate. Truss' reason for exit should be 'gross incompetence.'
Wow, what a letter. I saw Rod Liddle being interviewed on some channel or other and he said that Starmer wont be PM for long. I remember thinking that a ridiculous statement, but now?....
Social media is promising more Starmer relevations. IF that is true - big if - then what are they? The PM is now tottering
Quite incredible, after just 3 months and with a 170 seat majority
Social Media always promises but never delivers when it comes to these things
If there are all these skeletons in the closet for SKS why didn’t they come out before.
People on twitter need to be careful. Jenny Chapman has already received damages for an untrue allegation re her and SKS. Others may well end up suing.
I am mindful of what @TheScreamingEagles says about lawyers and I will comment no more on this aspect
However it DOES look like there is a concerted drip-drip of leaks from Number 10/the Labour elite, against Starmer. How come we KEEP getting more revelations about griftgate, day by day?
That is the classic technique to bring down a politician. You do it slowly and cruelly so they never get a chance to recover, they are always defensive, then they fall
Wow, what a letter. I saw Rod Liddle being interviewed on some channel or other and he said that Starmer wont be PM for long. I remember thinking that a ridiculous statement, but now?....
Social media is promising more Starmer relevations. IF that is true - big if - then what are they? The PM is now tottering
Quite incredible, after just 3 months and with a 170 seat majority
Social Media always promises but never delivers when it comes to these things
If there are all these skeletons in the closet for SKS why didn’t they come out before.
People on twitter need to be careful. Jenny Chapman has already received damages for an untrue allegation re her and SKS. Others may well end up suing.
Canterbury made history when its voters elected their first woman, and only non-Conservative, MP since the seat was created in the thirteenth century.
Blimey, I had no idea the Conservative Party had such deep roots. Natural party of government indeed.
Since the Conservative Party didn't exist until at least 1679 the second part can't be true.
Thank goodness for proper historians.
(Sorry. Just been reading a 'history' which had long passages of confected oratio recta in it. Pet hate of mine. That book went straight to the charity bookshop heap.)
Bit early for an MP defection really, as Leon notes it's more of an 'in power for 10 years' thing, but an atypical individual situation. Kind of feels like she would have done it before, but needed to get re-elected first. I'm sure her views are sincere, but has that much changed about the party since taking power?
As kyf_100 suggests, doesn't seem like she'd be a good fit for Cotbyn and the Gaza Bros. Long term independent I reckon.
But it comes at the worst possible moment for Starmer, when he is rocked daily by the grift allegations
It feels relentless, and again I wonder if it is in some way co-ordinated to destabilise him, and ultimately remove him
Truss was gift to Labour
Rosie gift to all Labour’s opponents
You need some perspective.
Rosie Duffield, a nondescript backbench MP most of the public couldn't pick out or the Prime Minister who spooked the markets and lost to a lettuce?
We will see but you cannot deny this is a gift to Labour’s opponents
@TheScreamingEagles would be correct if otherwise all was calm in the Labour camp
But it is not. This is like another hefty punch to a man already on the ropes with one eye badly cut
No, it would have been more destabilising if she had resigned a week ago or even last Tuesday/Wednesday as it would have dominated the Labour Party conference.
The next fortnight is going to be dominated by the Tory conference then voting in the leadership contest.
Equally, you could argue that this is great timing for the Tories. Labour might have been hoping to point and laugh at the feeble candidates, now they will be consumed by this. Meanwhile at their conference the Tories will have a real pep. The government is imploding so fast the Tories really will have a chance of winning next time, despite the huge Labour majority
Delicious. THAT letter is why we all love politics!
Nah, timing is everything.
Just imagine if she had quit the morning of Starmer's speech or on budget day.
Bit early for an MP defection really, as Leon notes it's more of an 'in power for 10 years' thing, but an atypical individual situation. Kind of feels like she would have done it before, but needed to get re-elected first. I'm sure her views are sincere, but has that much changed about the party since taking power?
As kyf_100 suggests, doesn't seem like she'd be a good fit for Cotbyn and the Gaza Bros. Long term independent I reckon.
But it comes at the worst possible moment for Starmer, when he is rocked daily by the grift allegations
It feels relentless, and again I wonder if it is in some way co-ordinated to destabilise him, and ultimately remove him
Truss was gift to Labour
Rosie gift to all Labour’s opponents
You need some perspective.
Rosie Duffield, a nondescript backbench MP most of the public couldn't pick out or the Prime Minister who spooked the markets and lost to a lettuce?
We will see but you cannot deny this is a gift to Labour’s opponents
@TheScreamingEagles would be correct if otherwise all was calm in the Labour camp
But it is not. This is like another hefty punch to a man already on the ropes with one eye badly cut
No, it would have been more destabilising if she had resigned a week ago or even last Tuesday/Wednesday as it would have dominated the Labour Party conference.
The next fortnight is going to be dominated by the Tory conference then voting in the leadership contest.
Equally, you could argue that this is great timing for the Tories. Labour might have been hoping to point and laugh at the feeble candidates, now they will be consumed by this. Meanwhile at their conference the Tories will have a real pep. The government is imploding so fast the Tories really will have a chance of winning next time, despite the huge Labour majority
Delicious. THAT letter is why we all love politics!
Nah, timing is everything.
Just imagine if she had quit the morning of Starmer's speech or on budget day.
Speaking of timing, Mr Eagles, is it time to revise your view that the unfortunate Anne Coke had a worse honeymoon than Starmer?
Just read it on Sam Coates twitter feed. All I can say is you’re correct. It is.
Three pages of pure loathing and contempt. Not a shred of respect - "you're a decent man doing a hard job" blah blah
Just pure 100% ultra-distilled vitriol. The problem for Starmer is that, nonetheless, it doesn't sound unhinged. It is articulate and pointed
He's consistently ignored, shunned and been rude to her.
So, it's payback time. And she's clearly a person who thinks revenge should be served up absolutely freezing.
She thinks revenge is best served up cold, in the form of ice, and shaped into a mighty spear, then shoved up your arse so incredibly hard it pops out of your mouth
The Hon Member for Clacton must be enjoying this. If Labour implode before the Tories sort themselves out, he has to stand the best chance of benefiting.
I was just thinking a few hours ago how quickly the nonpolitical have turned on Sir Keir. The Facebook memes have started very quickly - the "sausages" think has had some major cut through, and the Absolute Radio football preview at around 2pm took the piss over that and the hospitality he's taken.
But we know how difficult it is for a Labour leader to be unseated...
PB is really having a meltdown tonight..🥴 2 months of grifting is hardly balancing with 14 years of corruption and incompetence..🧐😏
Just as Tories bemoaning Labour triumphalism on the day of and days after a General Election needed to accept such was not unreasonable, so too would Labour need to accept Tories celebrating a bad story for Labour not being unreasonable.
Longer term impacts? Sure, harder to guess at and probably less than people think, but it has been a rough few weeks for the government.
The trouble for Labour is that Starmer IS all the things Duffield accuses him of being. A clueless greedy vain hypocritical careerist, with no political experience, and no redeeming features now his "dutiful service" shtick has been shot to pieces
“The sleaze, the nepotism and the apparent avarice are off the scale. I am so ashamed of what you and your inner circle has done to tarnish and humiliate our once proud party”
It's what you might expect after being in power a decade. Not three months
Didn't check the letter properly. Huge grammatical error there in your quote, if that wording is correct. The error would make me wonder how considered the letter was.
The trouble for Labour is that Starmer IS all the things Duffield accuses him of being. A clueless greedy vain hypocritical careerist, with no political experience, and no redeeming features now his "dutiful service" shtick has been shot to pieces
“The sleaze, the nepotism and the apparent avarice are off the scale. I am so ashamed of what you and your inner circle has done to tarnish and humiliate our once proud party”
It's what you might expect after being in power a decade. Not three months
Didn't check the letter properly. Huge grammatical error there in your quote, if that wording is correct. The error would make me wonder how considered the letter was.
Huge grammatical errors are not uncommon even in very considered letters, I have little doubt. Standards slipping and all that.
Canterbury made history when its voters elected their first woman, and only non-Conservative, MP since the seat was created in the thirteenth century.
Blimey, I had no idea the Conservative Party had such deep roots. Natural party of government indeed.
Since the Conservative Party didn't exist until at least 1679 the second part can't be true.
from Wiki page on "Conservative Party (United Kingdom)
Origins Some writers trace the party's origins to the Tory Party, which it soon replaced. Other historians point to a faction, rooted in the 18th century Whig Party, that coalesced around William Pitt the Younger in the 1780s. They were known as "Independent Whigs", "Friends of Mr Pitt", or "Pittites" and never used terms such as "Tory" or "Conservative". From about 1812, the name "Tory" was commonly used for a new party that, according to historian Robert Blake, "are the ancestors of Conservatism". Blake adds that Pitt's successors after 1812 "were not in any sense standard-bearers of 'true Toryism'".
The term Tory was an insult that entered English politics during the Exclusion Bill crisis of 1678–1681, which derived from the Middle Irish word tóraidhe (modern Irish: tóraí) meaning outlaw or robber, which in turn derived from the Irish word tóir, meaning pursuit, since outlaws were "pursued men".
The term "Conservative" was suggested as a title for the party in an article by J. Wilson Croker published in the Quarterly Review in 1830.[48] The name immediately caught on and was formally adopted under the aegis of Robert Peel around 1834. Peel is acknowledged as the founder of the Conservative Party, which he created with the announcement of the Tamworth Manifesto. The term "Conservative Party" rather than Tory was the dominant usage by 1845.
SSI - believe 2nd para above is the basis for the oft-quoted (and occassionally correct) saying -
"Crooks are Tories, and Tories are crooks"
which yours truly first encoutered in one of George MacDonald Fraser's "McAuslan" short stories.
That is the most savage resignation letter I have ever seen. I do not believe this is because she is so suddenly shocked by griftgate and The free-frockalypse. However she has cannily used those to great effect - "shameful avarice"
There must now be a decent chance Starmer goes. Not a big chance, but no longer vanishingly small
Popcorn!
Sadly there’s an awful lot of Labour MPs to cross the floor before their majority is in jeopardy.
That said, the first job of the new Tory leader is to appoint a chief whip who can go and pick off Labour MPs one at a time, who disagree with the news agenda of the week.
Bit early for an MP defection really, as Leon notes it's more of an 'in power for 10 years' thing, but an atypical individual situation. Kind of feels like she would have done it before, but needed to get re-elected first. I'm sure her views are sincere, but has that much changed about the party since taking power?
As kyf_100 suggests, doesn't seem like she'd be a good fit for Cotbyn and the Gaza Bros. Long term independent I reckon.
But it comes at the worst possible moment for Starmer, when he is rocked daily by the grift allegations
It feels relentless, and again I wonder if it is in some way co-ordinated to destabilise him, and ultimately remove him
Truss was gift to Labour
Rosie gift to all Labour’s opponents
You need some perspective.
Rosie Duffield, a nondescript backbench MP most of the public couldn't pick out or the Prime Minister who spooked the markets and lost to a lettuce?
We will see but you cannot deny this is a gift to Labour’s opponents
@TheScreamingEagles would be correct if otherwise all was calm in the Labour camp
But it is not. This is like another hefty punch to a man already on the ropes with one eye badly cut
No, it would have been more destabilising if she had resigned a week ago or even last Tuesday/Wednesday as it would have dominated the Labour Party conference.
The next fortnight is going to be dominated by the Tory conference then voting in the leadership contest.
Equally, you could argue that this is great timing for the Tories. Labour might have been hoping to point and laugh at the feeble candidates, now they will be consumed by this. Meanwhile at their conference the Tories will have a real pep. The government is imploding so fast the Tories really will have a chance of winning next time, despite the huge Labour majority
Delicious. THAT letter is why we all love politics!
Nah, timing is everything.
Just imagine if she had quit the morning of Starmer's speech or on budget day.
Speaking of timing, Mr Eagles, is it time to revise your view that the unfortunate Anne Coke had a worse honeymoon than Starmer?
Starmer should be giving thanks for the actual existence of PM Liz Truss
Because, if it wasn't for her, we would absolutely be calling this the worst start to a government/premiership in modern history. This is far worse than May, Brown or Boris. This is extraordinary
PB is really having a meltdown tonight..🥴 2 months of grifting is hardly balancing with 14 years of corruption and incompetence..🧐😏
Yeah, but that's just a slogan, isn't it?
Previous administration was in for X years of very bad thing 1 and very bad thing 2.
It's simply not true. The previous Conservative administration got plenty of things right, and only really jumped the shark from mid 2020 to late 2022.
PB is really having a meltdown tonight..🥴 2 months of grifting is hardly balancing with 14 years of corruption and incompetence..🧐😏
I'm inclined to agree with this. We are at the Bernie Ecclestone level of scandal - which came along six months into Blair's reign. Starmer will be with us a few years more at least. PB Tories should remember it's a marathon, not a sprint.
That is the most savage resignation letter I have ever seen. I do not believe this is because she is so suddenly shocked by griftgate and The free-frockalypse. However she has cannily used those to great effect - "shameful avarice"
There must now be a decent chance Starmer goes. Not a big chance, but no longer vanishingly small
Popcorn!
Sadly there’s an awful lot of Labour MPs to cross the floor before their majority is in jeopardy.
That said, the first job of the new Tory leader is to appoint a chief whip who can go and pick off Labour MPs one at a time, who disagree with the news agenda of the week.
Oh, sure - I expect Labour to crawl towards the end of this first term, the majority is too big. And then I expect them to lose
Bit early for an MP defection really, as Leon notes it's more of an 'in power for 10 years' thing, but an atypical individual situation. Kind of feels like she would have done it before, but needed to get re-elected first. I'm sure her views are sincere, but has that much changed about the party since taking power?
As kyf_100 suggests, doesn't seem like she'd be a good fit for Cotbyn and the Gaza Bros. Long term independent I reckon.
But it comes at the worst possible moment for Starmer, when he is rocked daily by the grift allegations
It feels relentless, and again I wonder if it is in some way co-ordinated to destabilise him, and ultimately remove him
Truss was gift to Labour
Rosie gift to all Labour’s opponents
You need some perspective.
Rosie Duffield, a nondescript backbench MP most of the public couldn't pick out or the Prime Minister who spooked the markets and lost to a lettuce?
We will see but you cannot deny this is a gift to Labour’s opponents
@TheScreamingEagles would be correct if otherwise all was calm in the Labour camp
But it is not. This is like another hefty punch to a man already on the ropes with one eye badly cut
No, it would have been more destabilising if she had resigned a week ago or even last Tuesday/Wednesday as it would have dominated the Labour Party conference.
The next fortnight is going to be dominated by the Tory conference then voting in the leadership contest.
Equally, you could argue that this is great timing for the Tories. Labour might have been hoping to point and laugh at the feeble candidates, now they will be consumed by this. Meanwhile at their conference the Tories will have a real pep. The government is imploding so fast the Tories really will have a chance of winning next time, despite the huge Labour majority
Delicious. THAT letter is why we all love politics!
Nah, timing is everything.
Just imagine if she had quit the morning of Starmer's speech or on budget day.
Speaking of timing, Mr Eagles, is it time to revise your view that the unfortunate Anne Coke had a worse honeymoon than Starmer?
Anne Coke still wins the worst honeymoon ever.
That said she was married to her husband for fifty-four years so perhaps it is a good omen for Starmer.
Comments
If the aim is to hurt the leadership- and by golly, that's the tone of the letter- wouldn't before/during the conference have been the time to resign?
What are her overall politics? I know she likes the biological sex model of male and female, and dislikes Starmer. Where does she sit on the left-right axis? Is she Team Jeremy?
For the record - I disagree with her views but as a libertarian would defend to the death her right to voice them. The violence and threats she has been subjected to as a result of those views are utterly unacceptable in a polite society, or a Parliamentary democracy.
an outlier without influence or leverage
(this is for statisticians - Google it)
We called it the Labour party, and it is too soon for a new one.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3vkdy997rko
It should be commended
“The sleaze, the nepotism and the apparent avarice are off the scale. I am so ashamed of what you and your inner circle has done to tarnish and humiliate our once proud party”
Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield quits Labour
https://x.com/thetimes/status/1840062944979366360
It's what you might expect after being in power a decade. Not three months
One interesting feature of flash flooding & aftermath caused by Helene, is that due to the interesting topography AND hydrology of western North Carolina, is that some of the floodwater will eventually make it's way to rivers that flow into the Atlantic - for example, the James River of Virginia where Dog and his pal Ian are currently bobbing on their houseboat.
While the rest (that doesn't end up in local water table) will flow (mostly) westward into the Tennessee, Ohio and mighty Mississippi; for example, the French Broad which flows through (and now over) Ashville on its way ACROSS the mountains to Knoxville and the Tennessee RIver.
@RosieDuffield1"
https://x.com/thetimes/status/1840063922205839361
There must now be a decent chance Starmer goes. Not a big chance, but no longer vanishingly small
Popcorn!
As kyf_100 suggests, doesn't seem like she'd be a good fit for Cotbyn and the Gaza Bros. Long term independent I reckon.
Wow.
Says what a hell of a lot of people are thinking on the avarice and greed of GiftGate.
It feels relentless, and again I wonder if it is in some way co-ordinated to destabilise him, and ultimately remove him
'Do you agree with Rosie' ?
Rosie gift to all Labour’s opponents
I find this bit the more interesting part of the letter, because as far as political attacks go it is not one which the public at large probably care about at all, or are even much aware of. But I have noted before just how quickly Starmer was put into a senior position, he was even floated as a leadership candidate weeks after first becoming an MP. Even more than Sunak, he had no experience of backbench life.
In modern times those who make it to the top appear to need to get there quickly, even if in shadow positions, and it is interesting that Duffield has chosen to call that sort of thing out specifically.
@owenjonesjourno
This is an absolutely devastating resignation letter.
It is absolutely correct - it’s a searing, damning indictment of the soulless, toxic Starmer project.
It is, however, unfortunate that these points aren’t being made by someone else."
https://x.com/owenjonesjourno/status/1840065218614857998
Owen Jones
@owenjonesjourno
·
26m
A prediction:
Everything the left said about Keir Starmer and his allies - for which we were mocked and vilified - will end up not only vindicated, but become the consensus view.
This soulless project is stuffed full of malign self-advancing careerists.
It will sink.
Rosie Duffield, a nondescript backbench MP most of the public couldn't pick out or the Prime Minister who spooked the markets and lost to a lettuce?
Just pure 100% ultra-distilled vitriol. The problem for Starmer is that, nonetheless, it doesn't sound unhinged. It is articulate and pointed
Probably including me.
But it has to be done.
The medium and long term rewards are worth it.
I saw Rod Liddle being interviewed on some channel or other and he said that Starmer wont be PM for long. I remember thinking that a ridiculous statement, but now?....
Quite incredible, after just 3 months and with a 170 seat majority
What are the odds? (Asking for a friend!)
But it is not. This is like another hefty punch to a man already on the ropes with one eye badly cut
Blimey, I had no idea the Conservative Party had such deep roots. Natural party of government indeed.
Although I will admit her resigning the whip comes a bit left field.
The next fortnight is going to be dominated by the Tory conference then voting in the leadership contest.
"NEW: Labour insider tells me that the party is an absolute binfire at the top. "Now they have hounded the left out the party they have turned on each other. This time it is over money but a load of other stuff is going to get leaked over the next few weeks""
https://x.com/doctoriaindarcy/status/1836674870240797101
If there are all these skeletons in the closet for SKS why didn’t they come out before.
People on twitter need to be careful. Jenny Chapman has already received damages for an untrue allegation re her and SKS. Others may well end up suing.
Delicious. THAT letter is why we all love politics!
But I suspect she was not arguing that case, but just allowing her sense of drama to arrive at a confused sounding claim.
BSW being (as I understand it) fiscally leftwing but socially righwing? AND is that where Rosie Duffield is coming from?
For what it's worth (maybe 2-cents Canadian?) in la belle province of Quebec, the Coalition Avenir Québec (Coalition for the Future of Quebec) which is the governing party in the National Assemby (=Quebec legislature), and has been eating the lunch of the pro-independence Parti Québécois for some time. CAQ being pro-autonomist (in the classic Quebec tradition) but NOT leftwing.
Have thought for some time, that there MIGHT be some appeal to such a party in Scotland someday in the not-to-distant future?
So, it's payback time. And she's clearly a person who thinks revenge should be served up absolutely freezing.
However it DOES look like there is a concerted drip-drip of leaks from Number 10/the Labour elite, against Starmer. How come we KEEP getting more revelations about griftgate, day by day?
That is the classic technique to bring down a politician. You do it slowly and cruelly so they never get a chance to recover, they are always defensive, then they fall
It's how they brought down Boris, ironically
(Sorry. Just been reading a 'history' which had long passages of confected oratio recta in it. Pet hate of mine. That book went straight to the charity bookshop heap.)
Just imagine if she had quit the morning of Starmer's speech or on budget day.
They at least are NOT pleased . . . at least according to inside sources overhead via my tinfoil helmet . . .
I was just thinking a few hours ago how quickly the nonpolitical have turned on Sir Keir. The Facebook memes have started very quickly - the "sausages" think has had some major cut through, and the Absolute Radio football preview at around 2pm took the piss over that and the hospitality he's taken.
But we know how difficult it is for a Labour leader to be unseated...
Longer term impacts? Sure, harder to guess at and probably less than people think, but it has been a rough few weeks for the government.
He is shite. How do you fix that?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Hardres.
Its first party political MP was Whig John Baker in 1796 with its first Tory MP elected in 1797, Sir John Honeywood
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canterbury_(UK_Parliament_constituency)#:~:text=Canterbury is a constituency in,since September 2024 an Independent.
Origins
Some writers trace the party's origins to the Tory Party, which it soon replaced. Other historians point to a faction, rooted in the 18th century Whig Party, that coalesced around William Pitt the Younger in the 1780s. They were known as "Independent Whigs", "Friends of Mr Pitt", or "Pittites" and never used terms such as "Tory" or "Conservative". From about 1812, the name "Tory" was commonly used for a new party that, according to historian Robert Blake, "are the ancestors of Conservatism". Blake adds that Pitt's successors after 1812 "were not in any sense standard-bearers of 'true Toryism'".
The term Tory was an insult that entered English politics during the Exclusion Bill crisis of 1678–1681, which derived from the Middle Irish word tóraidhe (modern Irish: tóraí) meaning outlaw or robber, which in turn derived from the Irish word tóir, meaning pursuit, since outlaws were "pursued men".
The term "Conservative" was suggested as a title for the party in an article by J. Wilson Croker published in the Quarterly Review in 1830.[48] The name immediately caught on and was formally adopted under the aegis of Robert Peel around 1834. Peel is acknowledged as the founder of the Conservative Party, which he created with the announcement of the Tamworth Manifesto. The term "Conservative Party" rather than Tory was the dominant usage by 1845.
SSI - believe 2nd para above is the basis for the oft-quoted (and occassionally correct) saying -
"Crooks are Tories, and Tories are crooks"
which yours truly first encoutered in one of George MacDonald Fraser's "McAuslan" short stories.
That said, the first job of the new Tory leader is to appoint a chief whip who can go and pick off Labour MPs one at a time, who disagree with the news agenda of the week.
Because, if it wasn't for her, we would absolutely be calling this the worst start to a government/premiership in modern history. This is far worse than May, Brown or Boris. This is extraordinary
Previous administration was in for X years of very bad thing 1 and very bad thing 2.
It's simply not true. The previous Conservative administration got plenty of things right, and only really jumped the shark from mid 2020 to late 2022.
That was enough, though.
That said she was married to her husband for fifty-four years so perhaps it is a good omen for Starmer.