Short resigns Labour whip
Former cabinet minister Clare Short has resigned the Labour whip, and will sit as an independent MP from now on.
The former international development secretary said the political system was “in trouble” and Labour’s huge majorities have produced an “arrogant, error-prone government”.
The solution was to change the electoral system, she argued, but this would only happen after a hung parliament, in which no one party had a majority. Ms Short said she wanted to be free to campaign for this over the next few years.
“I am sorry it has come to this, but after a lifetime of service to the Labour party and 23 years in the House of Commons I think I am entitled to discuss what has gone wrong with the government and our political system in my remaining years as an MP,” she said.
“It is my view that our political system is in trouble and that the exaggerated majorities in the House of Commons have led to an abject parliament and a concentration of power in Number 10 that has produced arrogant, error-prone government.”
In her resignation letter to chief whip Jacqui Smith, the MP for Birmingham Ladywood also accused Tony Blair of a “series of half-truths and deceits to get us to war in Iraq”.
She resigned her international development post over the war, although only after the first phase of military action had finished. Her cabinet colleague, Robin Cook, won more respect for his resignation before the decision to go to war was taken.
Today’s announcement comes as no surprise – Ms Short has clashed with the government for the past few years, and has defied the Labour whip on several key Commons votes including foundation hospitals, anti-terror legislation and ID cards.
Last month, she announced she was “profoundly ashamed of the government” and wanted to leave the party at the next general election to campaign for a hung parliament.
Although she was found guilty of breaking the party’s rules, she escaped with only a slap on the wrist from the whips’ office. However, today she has taken her dispute with Labour to its ultimate conclusion.
