GE 2024 Chingford and Woodford Green seat handed back to IDS!

WhatThe
WhatThe Online Community Member, Scope Member Posts: 2,982 Championing
edited August 2024 in Benefits and income

Why oh why did Labour deselect their best candidate for this constituency and hand it back to the author of the most damaging social security reforms and regulations, Sir Iain Duncan Smith? 😡

Here is a list of Labour MP's, frontbenchers and backbenchers, previously appointed Secretary of State for Work and Pensions either in government or in opposition - they know the brief as well as he does!

Yvette Cooper

Rachel Reeves

Sir Stephen Timms

Debbie Abrahams

Jonathan Reynolds

Liz Kendall

Comments

  • Jimm_Scope
    Jimm_Scope Posts: 5,409 Scope Online Community Specialist

    We can't know exactly what goes into selecting a candidate. Of course the vote was split there allowing Iain Duncan Smith to keep the seat. Though, sorry if I've missed it, I'm not too sure what this has to do with his former position as Secretary for Work and Pensions? He of course made some changes which affected a lot of people negatively, but now he is just a backbencher now, he isn't even in the Shadow Cabinet as far as I am aware.

  • WhatThe
    WhatThe Online Community Member, Scope Member Posts: 2,982 Championing

    They didn't even try to win that seat after deselecting a popular local candidate..

    Jimm, the changes got through Parliament only with Labour's support in 2015 - and Labour's failure since then to expose the consequences of those changes means this reassessment programme has one less significantly protective measure than the original reassessment programme did in 2011-2014.

    Political parties work together. Backbenchers serve on committees and organise sub-groups to wield their influence - they are legislators not bystanders in the party and IDS made his mark some time ago with benefits and with Brexit.

    It's too late to stop UC and it's too late to reverse those damaging reforms but it is not too late to call out Labour for its betrayal of the most vulnerable in society!

  • WhatThe
    WhatThe Online Community Member, Scope Member Posts: 2,982 Championing
    edited August 2024

    Did anyone else watch last night's Newsnight? (pretty sure it's repeated tonight at 10:30)

    Great interview with Faiza Shaheen, Labour's candidate for this seat until an hour before her previous Newsnight interview 😮 ahead of the General Election.

    Also in the studio was Lord Finkelstein (C) who said that Labour clearly preferred Iain Duncan-Smith to their own candidate…

  • Albus_Scope
    Albus_Scope Posts: 8,629 Scope Online Community Coordinator

    Ah cool, thanks for the heads up @WhatThe I'll set an alarm for it tonight.

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