The Government today (1 Feb) reversed seven House of Lords amendments to the Welfare Reform Bill, and invoked a rarely used parliamentary statute to prevent any further consideration of the Bill. Restrictions to disabled people’s benefits, including cancer patients, and a cap on the amount a household can claim were the centrepieces of the government’s bill – despite massive opposition from the House of Lords, the Labour Party, welfare organisations, charities and disability campaigners. [continue...]
MPs will be debating the Welfare Reform Bill on Wednesday 1 February 2012, which is the day after the Lords final debate. This is quite clearly a tactic to prevent campaigning and lobbying of MPs which is an attack on democracy. There are important issues at stake - protecting the disabled, including young disabled people and those with cancer, people on housing benefit, lone parents and larger families (details below). [continue...]
Your CLP is now able to make nominations for the Labour Party NEC elections, which will take place later in the year. The LRC is asking to you to seek nominations for Gary Heather (download Gary’s statement) and Christine Shawcroft (download Christine’s statement). [continue...]
The risk of a new military conflict with, or military strike on, Iran has intensified. A new oil embargo will bans all new oil contracts with Iran, and cuts off all existing deals. Also, all of the Iranian central bank’s European assets are to be frozen. The sanctions come into force on 1 July. [continue...]
Over the weekend Ed Miliband and Ed Balls came out with a succession of statements shifting Labour policy to within an inch of the coalition government. As well as refusing to pledge to reverse a single cut, Ed Balls said Labour would support the pay freeze and restraint on public sector workers. Today, the Unite general secretary Len McCluskey has written a powerful article in the Guardian, expressing his dissatisfaction with this “Blairite political coup” and warning it could lead to electoral disaster. [continue...]
LRC Executive Statement on public sector pensions: Leaders of the TUC and some trade unions have split the trade union movement today by capitulating to the Government, betraying not only their own members but also undermining the teachers’, civil servants’ and health service workers’ unions. [continue...]
On 30 November thousands of ordinary Labour members will be backing public sector workers in their dispute with the government. In Scotland all Labour MSPs have pledged their support and will not cross picket lines at Holyrood. Likewise Labour AMs in Wales will not cross picket lines at Cardiff Bay. [continue...]
Up to 3 million public sector workers from 28 unions are planning to take co-ordinated action on 30 November. Every union that has balloted has returned a majority in favour of taking strike action in what will be the largest strike for a generation. [continue...]
The LRC’s annual conference ‘Labour’s Resistance’ took place on Saturday 19 November in London. Conference debated and voted on policy - everything from adult social care to Iran - elected new officers and a national committee, and held hustings for LRC nominees for the centre-left Labour Party NEC slate. Around 250-300 individual members and delegates from local groups and affiliates attended. [continue...]
UPDATE: Thanks to all those who have already lobbied Labour MPs, shadow housing minister Jack Dromey and Labour leader Ed Miliband. John McDonnell MP has now tabled two amendments to New Clause 26, supported by Crisis and the Squash campaign. Please email keep lobbying MPs to vote against New Clause 26 or at least to support the amendments to it tabled by John McDonnell MP. [continue...]
Click on an LRC campaign to catch up on all the latest news and events:
act | atos | bbc | british gas | build a socialist tendency | build anti-cut tendencies in labour | build socialist currents in the labour party | by-election | cambridge | capitalism | care home crisis | carerwatch | class | coalition government | conference | council houses | council housing | councils | croydon | cyberknife