Rachael Maskell MP, the evangelical Christian MP for York Central, had the Labour Whip removed yesterday because she knows what she thinks, why she thinks it, and is willing to act on it to further the interests of those she serves.
Keir Starmer removed the whip from Rachael Maskell because he has no idea why he is in the Labour Party, what he or it stands for, or what it should do, except to serve the interests of the very rich and Zionists.
Rachael Maskell is being denied power by Labour.
Keir Starmer holds power in Labour.
If you want to know why, in a recent opinion poll, only 15% of people said they might vote for Labour, this is why.
They know Keir Starmer has no idea what to do with power for the betterment of others, but is more than willing to use that power to punish those who point that out.
They really don't like that. And once realised, that realisation will not go away.
That's why Labour needs to be rid of him.
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Maskell is a woman of some principle. She voted against assisted dying and against decriminalisation of abortion up until term.
I like her.
I disagree with Maskell on both those issues (and probably many others), but I am glad she is there to offer an opposing view. Only by exploring all aspects of an issue can the correct consensus be reached, which is surely the purpose of Westminster. Only a weak leader would think otherwise.
It really is quite extraordinary, and cruel, to suspend people from the party just as Parliament is going into summer recess.
I can’t think of another Prime Minister in my lifetime who has removed the whip from so many MPs.
It’s extremely weak leadership.
“I can’t think of another Prime Minister in my lifetime who has removed the whip from so many MPs.
It’s extremely weak leadership.”
Johnson
It may be the things you say, and I believe it is, but just seen from a party management point of view it’s extraordinarily stupid.
Why sack people on the brink of the summer recess, giving them the time and motivation to start plotting against you over the long break, and let them and any new recruits to the cause come back organised to do just that in the autumn term?
For now any on the Labour left, and we may assess that body as the MPs who forced the PIP climbdown, know that the future is:
a) Four further years of grovelling submission to a horrible neoliberal McSweeney agenda which you hate and then lose your seat anyway, or:
b) Get sacked in the interim if you actually do anything in which you believe, so why not get plotting now?.
Talk about a tin ear.
The reason for sacking them on the point of recess is in the hope of people having forgotten about it when parliament resumes. Less time for people to get together and plot.
From what I have read in the YorkPress many of her constituents support her. It will be interesting to see if councillors follow her out of the party.
Might it be that Sir Starmer does not really understand what he is doing but does it rigidly?
Might such be an unfortunate combination of wilful ignorance and insensitivity combined with personal self-indulgence?
A sorry tale.
So we’re a ‘Christian country’ are we? Huh – only when it suits us.
Starmer is a Knight of the Realm – it’s obvious what the answer is to the question ‘Whose your Daddy?’.
In case anyones interested
https://www.rachaelmaskell.com/news_page/2025/07/16/statement-regarding-suspension-from-parliamentary-labour-party/
Well said by her
Agreed. This made me so angry.
I think someone from what remains of the left in Labour needs to challenge Starmer for the leadership this autumn (as any later it will get worse – if it can?). This would be with the knowledge (and a likelihood) that the challenge will fail, but also with the knowledge that the challenger would have a welcome home to go to afterwards (Greens or Corbyn/Sultana).
Clive Lewis is and would be brilliant?
However, with Starmer (actually McSweeney) being an such an authoritarian, any leadership challenge will double down the authoritarianism and rightwingery. It is so bad, though, I think a challenge needs to be made anyway.
The problem goes far beyond Starmer, he is just the point man. Labour has been taken over by a zionist clique who would appear to put the interests of Israel 1st and those of UK serfs a long way second. Challenging the “let’s make UK serfs poorer & give more money to the City of London” narrative puts any & all LINO MPs in the firing line. Must be circa 100 that are deeply unhappy. That would take a chunk out of Starmer’s majority.
In the case of zionism, the Guardian today profiles both weapon supplies from Uk to Israel used to murder children and that country’s bombing of Syria yesterday. If Starmer and the zionists get turfed out – would Israel come to Starmers aid? Bombs on Whitehall (that’ll show em!).
All UK political parties need to put Uk citizens & their interests front and centre. Other far away countries and their interests are of little relevance to UK citizens and should be treated at arms length.
Starmer’s policy of shooting the messenger will not be lost on those Labour supporters and activists who have, for decades, kept the faith and built the organisation that gets councillors and MPs elected.
I predict a complete collapse in the Labour vote at the Scottish parliamentary and Senned elections. Perhaps this will be enough to bring the upper echelons of the party to their senses. Or not.
No steer is showing how tough he is. Why don’t he and the other Blue Labourites just quit and join Farage.
Oh forgot, as per the Colonel, they have not sorted out the well paid jobs in the City.
Thank you for the shout out, John.
There’s a programme of sell offs etc. to achieve. Ministers and officials need to make progress, so that the golden parachutes can be made available. It’s too early for either party.
You’re right about the City, but we can be more precise by saying US and /or private equity firms. They are the benefitting most.
There are far too many Labour MPs. Most won’t become ministers. They will have to earn their post-2029 sinecures in other ways. Nearer 2029, I foresee the scandals that bedevilled the Major government. NB one of the junior Treasury ministers was my manager. We are friends.
I’m not sure which is happening: is Labour moving rapidly towards getting rid of Starmer (as the Tories got rid of Johnson?), or is Starmer steadily and deliberately getting rid of Labour? If it’s the former, can we be sure they’ll also get rid of Macavity, and who do they want to be the new Party leader?
I recall saying, and I think you agreed, Richard, it could be 1931 all over again.
That was when, faced with an economic crisis, the Labour Chancellor followed the rigidly orthodox line and proposed cuts including to the ‘dole’ or unemployment benefit. The Labour cabinet split and the PM MacDonald offered his resignation to George Vth who proposed he stay on and head a National govt.
That is what he did. The Liberals with whom he had been in coalition also split, some of them becoming National Liberals and joining with the Conservatives to form the govt.
Not quite the same but we see the lack of alternative thinking posing as ‘responsible economics’ which meant years of depression and unemployment.
Where is the John Maynard Keynes of our time?
Being ignored….the collective that now provides the alternative are now, to use today’s parlance, treated as ‘knobheads’.
agreed
I like the term collective which is the current alternative to neo-liberals
I think it describes the situation
I hope to live long enough to see how it works
It may be too late to save the Labour Party now that it no longer stands for its historic principles. One just hopes the few remaining experienced and principled Labour MPs will continue to stand either as Independents or in alliance with Corbyn etc. We don’t want to lose the likes of Clive Lewis, for example.
On the contrary, Starmer should stick with Labour, and hopefully take the whole party down with him. It is a pit of vipers, and needs to go. That would leave the way clear for Corbyn/Sultana to take on Farage.
You might think this is pie in the sky, but that really is the only option left, now.
Surely some of the Labour party will show some backbone and threaten to resign the whip (before they are pushed) unless Starmer goes. If the remainder of the 47 who opposed welfare cuts do so, it till cause a massive headache for Starmer.
In terms of electoral victories, Harold Wilson was the most successful Labour leader. Wilson in defending various bouts of infighting within the party, claimed “Labour is a broad church or it is nothing”.
Clearly under Starmer now, Labour is nothing.
It would appear that “Majority”, led by Jamie Driscoll in the North East, are developing a healthy backing there. I would hope that they would offer a friendly approach to the Corbyn/Sultana alliance, in the hope of forming a stronger partnership to offer realistic hope to the electorate. The left is so fragmented, it really needs to get its’ act together to offer hope to the majority of the country. If it has enough credibility, it may just entice a few Labour defectors. I live in hope as I think that the Labour Party has been effectively hijacked by a right wing cabal, in much the same way as Trump and his cohort have hijacked American Democracy.
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2025/07/17/majority-party-elections/
Readers’ poll in the Independent shows very clearly that Starmer needs to be removed!
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/starmer-suspends-labour-rebels-whip-b2790805.html#comments-area
Noted….
Rather interestingly this exclusive from “The Dark Arts” ~ Ethan Stone, appeared in my emails tonight Richard that I think you’ll find very interesting and served as an excellent compliment and backup to your blogs which I’ve posted to the Facebook Political Page that I Administer …..
Exclusive: Watchdog probing Starmer aide’s secret lobbying of Tory ministers
openDemocracy findings on Varun Chandra’s activities at Hakluyt prompted official watchdog to launch investigation
https://thedarkarts.substack.com/p/exclusive-watchdog-probing-starmer?publication_id=2354259&post_id=168586685&isFreemail=true&r=2g81cu&triedRedirect=true
Two points:
1) Maskell is a very strong opponent of proportional representation, the most democratic voting system.
2) I think building a new left party is a better course of action than trying to reform or re-form Labour by ditching Starmer.
Too tired now to give reasons.
Alan Story THE LEFT LANE
See my blog entry just posted.