Copyright newstatesman
Love is all around the Labour Party, it seems, as most of the people sacked in Keir Starmer’s September reshuffle now find themselves in important jobs. The Pygge has noticed that seven of the 15 ministers sacked by Starmer bagged themselves select committee places this week. (Lucy Powell of course has been elected deputy leader of the party and is now expected to sit in political cabinet, making eight happy redemptions in total). The seven won internal party elections to stand for the places on the committees and were then waved through by the whips. The arrangement was sealed on Monday by the House of Commons in a series of formal votes. This mass migration from department jobs to select committee spots was trailed in last week’s NS politics column, where we reported that No 10 was encouraging some ex ministers to go for such role, with blessings from on high. This might help to soothe people who aren’t exactly Keir Starmer’s biggest fans at the moment (because he just sacked them). The appointments in full: Fleur Anderson joined the Foreign Affairs Committee Janet Daby joined the International Development Committee Justin Madders joined the Business and Trade Committee Catherine McKinnell joined the Public Accounts Committee Jeff Smith joined the Culture, Media and Sport Committee Catherine West joined the Treasury Committee Daniel Zeichner joined the Science, Innovation and Technology committee And there’s one more lucky ex minister in there too. Rushanara Ali, who not too long ago resigned as homeless minister after it was revealed she had evicted her tenants to raise the rent, has won a place on the Work and Pensions Committee. [Further reading: Jeremy Corbyn plays powerless man in role of a lifetime]
