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Syria “rebels” listed in full

Commons chamberThe 66 Labour MPs who voted with the Government on the main motion to support “taking military action, specifically airstrikes, exclusively against ISIL in Syria” represented well under a third of the 231 current Labour members of Parliament. They included 11 out of 28 Commons members of the shadow cabinet, six junior shadow ministers and three whips including the deputy chief whip, Alan Campbell. Rosie Winterton, the chief whip, abstained.

They also include two out of four leadership candidates (Yvette Cooper and Liz Kendall) and all 5 deputy leadership candidates from this year’s contest, as well as two former acting leaders (Harriet Harman and Margaret Beckett). The one other former leader, Ed Miliband, voted alongside Jeremy Corbyn against military action.

Since there was a free vote, they are not technically rebels although the website The Public Whip which is the usually quoted authority on rebellions defines them as “a vote against the majority vote by members of the MP’s party. The full list is as follows:

Shadow Cabinet
Heidi Alexander (Lewisham East)
Hilary Benn (Leeds Central)
Luciana Berger (Liverpool Wavertree)
Chris Bryant (Rhondda)
Vernon Coaker (Gedling)
Gloria De Piero (Ashfield)
Michael Dugher (Barnsley East)
Angela Eagle (Wallasey)
Maria Eagle (Garston & Halewood)
Lucy Powell (Manchester Central)
Tom Watson (West Bromwich East)

Front Bench
Wayne David (Caerphilly)
Stephen Doughty (Cardiff South & Penarth)
Kevan Jones (Durham North)
Susan Elan Jones (Clwyd South)
Pat McFadden (Wolverhampton South East)
Anna Turley (Redcar)

Whips
Alan Campbell (Tynemouth) – Deputy Chief Whip
Holly Lynch (Halifax)
Conor McGinn (St Helens North)

Others
Ian Austin (Dudley North)
Adrian Bailey (West Bromwich West)
Kevin Barron (Rother Valley)
Margaret Beckett (Derby South)
Tom Blenkinsop (Middlesbrough South & Cleveland East)
Ben Bradshaw (Exeter)
Jenny Chapman (Darlington)
Ann Coffey (Stockport)
Yvette Cooper (Normanton Pontefract & Castleford)
Neil Coyle (Bermondsey & Old Southwark)
Mary Creagh (Wakefield)
Stella Creasy (Walthamstow)
Simon Danczuk (Rochdale)
Jim Dowd (Lewisham West & Penge)
Louise Ellman (Liverpool Riverside)
Frank Field (Birkenhead)
Jim Fitzpatrick (Poplar & Limehouse)
Colleen Fletcher (Coventry North East)
Caroline Flint (Don Valley)
Harriet Harman (Camberwell & Peckham)
Margaret Hodge (Barking)
George Howarth (Knowsley)
Tristram Hunt (Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Dan Jarvis (Barnsley Central)
Alan Johnson (Hull West & Hessle)
Graham Jones (Hyndburn)
Helen Jones (Warrington North)
Liz Kendall (Leicester West)
Dr Peter Kyle (Hove)
Chris Leslie (Nottingham East)
Siobhain McDonagh (Mitcham & Morden)
Alison McGovern (Wirral South)
Bridget Phillipson (Houghton & Sunderland South)
Jamie Reed (Copeland)
Emma Reynolds (Wolverhampton North East)
Geoffrey Robinson (Coventry North West)
Joan Ryan (Enfield North)
Ruth Smeeth (Stoke-on-Trent North)
Angela Smith (Penistone & Stocksbridge)
John Spellar (Warley)
Gisela Stuart (Birmingham Edgbaston)
Gareth Thomas (Harrow West)
Chuka Umunna (Streatham)
Keith Vaz (Leicester East)
Phil Wilson (Sedgefield)
John Woodcock (Barrow & Furness)

The seven Tory “rebels” were:
Andrew Tyrie
David Davis
Gordon Henderson
John Baron
Julian Lewis
Philip Hollobone
Stephen McPartland

19 Comments

  1. J.P. Craig-Weston says:

    Well so much for the British Labour party then.

    It’s gone exactly as I predicted and few things have ever saddened me more.

  2. Jeffery Davies says:

    Oh those blair babies again going against the wishes of those who put them there untill that day the party becomes the peoples party then these b b will disrupt the party jeff3

    1. Robert says:

      We are in for two/three years of infighting and battles with the Progress mob and in the end I can see either Corbyn stepping down or the party splitting.

      The right wing Progress group are struggling lack of members and smaller numbers of MP’s backing it, so now we all can see the issue with Watson and the Eagles moving to the right. I knew Watson would change direction the bloke is always looking for a move ahead to improve his standing.

      Benn looks to be the new leader of the right.

  3. Verity says:

    Given the current preoccupation by some of becoming a victim, it might have been wiser to include the names of those voting with longer term strategically thoughts.

    1. Robert says:

      Everyone votes with his or her eye on the future that is what careerist do, but now we will see if Corbyn has the where with all to work with people like Eagle and Watson and Benn because Benn looks every bit a leader in waiting for the right.

      This is politics you should know this people are always looking for the edge.

      1. Rod says:

        Indeed. Benn’s fine words buttered no parsnips.

        Benn avoided addressing the absence of a credible and coherent strategy for intervening in Syria.

        Instead Benn used the occasion to launch his leadership campaign.

        1. Robert says:

          And the speech I suspect was written by one of Blair speech writers because it was totally Blair like.

          This is a fight for labour….

  4. Gordon Gibson n says:

    Is there a list of Labour abstentions too please.

  5. David Boothroyd says:

    Publicwhip’s definition of rebels is not correct, and is only there because that site is compiled by people with no real knowledge of politics. A rebellion is a vote against the party whip; an MP cannot rebel in a free vote. The vote yesterday was a free vote.

    1. Robert says:

      Well of course we all know the MP’s who did vote in the free vote against the leader, so this is a direct attack on the leader. Benn is now looking to be as a right wing leader in waiting.

  6. John Penney says:

    The Right in both the PLP and capitalist press are really scraping the barrel to put the “Mr Chipps” lookalike toff, Benn , up as a torch bearer for an alternative Labour Leader. His speech may have enthused the press and Tories as the best speech since Churchill’s “Fight them on the beaches ….”, but it was actually just slippery , cynical , contentless, rhetoric.

    Hard Luck Blairites – the PLP talent pool for the new rightist leader is still empty. Keep looking for that alternative leader to bring Labour back to the neoliberal fold, guys, but the pompously upper crust Benn just isn’t going to do it.

    1. Robert says:

      The thing is even if the 60 MP’s or what ever it is had voted labour they would have lost anyway, so the labour people who went against the leader and I include the Eagles who state they are lefties and of course Watson who only interest is himself and the other Progress tribe.

      The battle has never been the Tories the battle is sorting out labour progress elite..

    2. David Pavett says:

      I agree about Hilary Benn’s speech. It has been described as “barnstorming”, “brilliant”, “among the great Commons speeches” and so on.

      I have watched it and read it. It is, as you suggest, devoid of military analysis. It is a demand that we engage in action for purely political reasons without analysing their military objectives or effectiveness. It fails also to consider and evaluate alternatives. It is a very poor speech indeed.

      The fact that the speech has been so highly praised only demonstrates the low standards of the HoC and the extreme limitations of most of the political commentariat.

    3. Verity says:

      Having seen a random selection of the speeches, what most stood out was how lightweight the PLP really is. Many of those speeches got little further than repetitive observations of how bad ISIL is, with the consequences for bombing without strategy or end point. All this talk of conscience is a label for doing what they FEEL should be done, without having to think through and argue why.

      This demonstrates the tremendous effectiveness of Blair in successfully distracting some and clearing out other potential activists and ‘politicians’ from ever engaging in (Labour) Party politics. There has no doubt been a generational price to pay, resulting in some weak performance/activity/engagements (or leadership, shadow cabinet candidates). The lacklustre 3 probably has an equivalent throughout the Special Adviser generated and trained PLP.

  7. John P Reid says:

    Wouldn’t gave supported bombing myself, but if it was a free vote, then they weren’t rebels,
    When Tony Blair had a free vote on changing abortion, and was leader of the opposition and he was against the Tory law in 1995′ were those labour back benchers who voted in a free vote, rebels?

  8. David Ellis says:

    If the right wing regained control of the party the party would be over. They are finished. New Labour has had its day. 13 years of corruption and criminality in power and two lost elections including complete eradication in Scotland means they are electoral poison. They have nothing to offer. The ringing applause that Benn received from the Tories yesterday is but another nail in their coffin. The only way back for them is if Corbyn allows it and then all they can offer is to be reduced to about Lib Dems size in the 2020 election. Mind you Corbyn’s impression of an oppositional back bencher as if he hadn’t won a convincing victory in the very recent leadership election isn’t helping. Look if we don’t de-select the New Labour MPs the British public will at the ballot box and that will be the end of the Labour Party.

  9. Bazza says:

    Just keep focussing on fighting for the oppressed in the and internationally and in treating diverse people in equality.
    And organise to get power back back to grassroots members and Conference.
    And in a few years time select good left democratic socialist Parliamentary candidates who back Jeremy and grassroots opinion.
    I think I will ask: Do you think members should be seen but seldom heard?
    Just finished reading my Sun, polishing my Royal Family mug and saucer and and just writing to Santa for Jeremy, and you’ll never guess what I’ve asked for (for him) but think he will be pleased.
    Oh for myself its the usual Beano album but more later, now its time to pray.
    God bless us all, everyone of us (of all religions and of none and all of humanity in its wonderful diversity).
    Have to go now, off carol singing – I need the money and I am bloody good – will give some to food bank then off to pub!
    Yours in solidarity!

  10. Bazza says:

    Line 1 should be in the UK & internationally – sorry emotionally drained!

  11. Bazza says:

    We all have a right to be critical and offer ideas and opinion plus as democratic socialists we passionately care about humanity, that’s why we are socialists – but we are not perfect, we are human.
    But we should never abuse or threaten, we should try to be like the World we want to be – but because WE CARE, passions can run high – it’s what makes us human.
    But some comments have been overboard and Jeremy’s message was good.
    Most of us are constantly learning.
    But it’s hard when you see killing, it breaks your heart.
    And brothers and sisters we had a pyhrric victory today as they bombed oil refineries although they were likely to have been populated by human beings (we couldn’t really canvass the workers to see if they were pro-so called IS).
    The extreme right so called IS supporters make the mistake when carrying out indiscrimate attacks on the public around the World by trying to justify it by saying you supported wars etc. but instead of looking at the West as homogenous people they should recall that millions in West protested against the war in Iraq etc.
    I am not interested in the rich and powerful but as a democratic socialist on the side of the oppressed I think the key sentence for this decade may be: “But you don’t know me.”
    Love, peace & international solidarity.

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