Three shadow ministers resign over Corbyn’s reshuffle – so what?

Last Updated: January 6, 2016By

Kevan Jones, Jonathan Reynolds and Stephen Doughty (left to right).

Looking at the extent of Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet reshuffle, one is led to wonder whether he kept it minimal just to see what it would shake loose.

It wasn’t long before we found out. It shook loose Jonathan Reynolds, Stephen Doughty and Kevan Jones.

This Writer’s reaction, on hearing the news, was: “Who?”

It took a moment to recollect that Kevan Jones was the man who hypocritically attacked Ken Livingstone after the veteran left-winger suggested he might need psychiatric help, back in November last year. Mr Jones had said the words were inappropriate as he had indeed suffered from mental illness in the past – but this had not stopped him using similar language during a Parliamentary debate in 2010.

Jonathan Reynolds is unknown to This Blog, other than as one of the many Labour MPs who betrayed their constituents by abstaining from the vote at the second reading of the Conservative Government’s Welfare Reform and Work Bill, thereby aiding this latest attack on the poor, disabled and disadvantaged.

Oh… and so did Stephen Doughty, it seems. And this is odd, because Mr Doughty had criticised the rise of food banks due to Tory policies in a previous debate.

That’s all the information This Blog has published about any of them. They seem to have hardly distinguished themselves at all.

Corbyn’s strategy, therefore, seems exemplary.

After eliminating the main troublemakers, all he had to do was sit back and watch while the hangers-on left of their own accord.

Three junior shadow ministers have resigned in protest at Jeremy Corbyn’s reshuffle, in which two frontbenchers were sacked for disloyalty and a third was moved to clear the way for Labour to oppose the renewal of Trident nuclear weapons.

Jonathan Reynolds and Stephen Doughty stepped down from their roles after Pat McFadden was removed as shadow Europe minister for “serial disloyalty”, including what was seen as a coded attack on Corbyn’s response to the Paris terror attacks.

The third, Kevan Jones, resigned as a shadow defence minister after the Labour leader replaced his boss, Maria Eagle, who is pro-Trident, with the anti-Trident Emily Thornberry in the role of shadow defence secretary. Jones said there was “nothing straightforward or honest” about the way in which the changes were made.

Source: Three shadow ministers resign over Corbyn’s ‘dishonest’ reshuffle | Politics | The Guardian

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No Comments

  1. jeffrey davies January 6, 2016 at 7:39 pm - Reply

    no loss then but the blair babies will not keep quiet i wonder how long they got

  2. Giri Arulampalam January 6, 2016 at 7:41 pm - Reply

    Ken Livingstone is also known as “Red Ken” as everyone knows “Red” means hardline left-wing Socialist. Normally, Socialist people do not attack or insult each other. Has Ken Livingstone developed some kind of personality disorder?

  3. Michael Broadhurst January 6, 2016 at 8:09 pm - Reply

    good riddance,won’t be missed.

  4. John January 6, 2016 at 8:32 pm - Reply

    What annoyed me at todays PMQs (but didn’t surprise me), was Camoron’s continued arrogance and extreme sarcasm…. not forgetting his continued lack of ability to answer questions from Corbyn. I won’t forget the moment when the back bench Tories seemed to find it funny about the couple in York? that got flooded. I just love it when Corbyn continues to fail to respond to personal attacks from Camoron.

  5. mili68 January 6, 2016 at 9:36 pm - Reply

    Tweeted @melissacade68

  6. Terry Davies January 6, 2016 at 10:26 pm - Reply

    now we need benn to resign and take the remainder of the Blairites with him.

  7. Rupert Mitchell (@rupert_rrl) January 7, 2016 at 11:56 am - Reply

    I am backing Corbyn all the way. If we don’t all get together over this the Tories will win again in the end. The important thing here is to get rid of a government which is only interested in promoting the already rich and greedy very much at a huge cost to those not so fortunate.

  8. Jonathan Wilson January 7, 2016 at 1:17 pm - Reply

    Mr Dugher (who was demoted) changed his twitter bio to –

    “Sacked by JC for too much straight talking, honest politics.”

    And he wonders why he was demoted… seriously, its good to see such maturity within the Bitterites. /snark How old is he, 12?

    (Although my malapropism [I think is the correct term] could be considered just as childish, I’m not a supposedly honourable, and intelligent, member of parliament!)

  9. mohandeer January 7, 2016 at 6:03 pm - Reply

    “The third, Kevan Jones, resigned as a shadow defence minister after the Labour leader replaced his boss, Maria Eagle, who is pro-Trident, with the anti-Trident Emily Thornberry in the role of shadow defence secretary. Jones said there was “nothing straightforward or honest” about the way in which the changes were made.”
    Well now some of the elitists within the Labour Party know what it was like to be on the fringe of Blair’s megalomaniac clique. A timely reminder that Corbyn didn’t need to appoint them in the first place and there are consequences for ignoring what the majority of Labour membership requires. Take note Blairites and far right wingers!! Good riddance to bad rubbish.

  10. Ros Jackson January 7, 2016 at 7:51 pm - Reply

    Meanwhile we have a massive failure of flood defences in the north of England and Wales, a looming junior doctor’s strike, huge cuts to local government, and a humanitarian crisis with regard to refugees. The Tory government’s record is appalling, yet this relatively minor reshuffle (not revenge, routine) gets a disproportionate amount of headlines? The mainstream media continues to shame itself.

  11. GEOFF REYNOLDS January 9, 2016 at 11:40 am - Reply

    Had to laugh at the Dwp’s comments following the death of Michael O’Sullivan……..

    https://www.judiciary.gov.uk/publications/michael-osullivan/.

    PART 31.

    A decision that a claimant does not have Limited Capability for work, or Limited Capability for Work Related Activity, is colloquially referred to as a decision that the claimant is “FIT FOR WORK”. However, what this actually means is that the claimant does not meet the functional descriptors set out in the ESA Regulations for LCA or LCWRA.
    IT DOES NOT REPRESENT A FINDING ON WHETHER OR NOT THE CLAIMANT IS EMPLOYABLE OR WHETHER THE CLAIMANT WILL BE ABLE TO FIND WORK.

    …………………So “fit for work”, is just a colloquialism now that so many have died?

    • Mike Sivier January 11, 2016 at 8:55 pm - Reply

      Interesting though it is, what does this have to do with the resignation of shadow ministers?

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