How, one year after defeating Tories, Labour has delivered more of the same

Labour won power last July but clearly don’t know what to do with it

It hasn’t been the happiest of ‘birthday’ weeks for the government at Westminster. Labour colleagues were not in a celebratory mood on the anniversary of their ‘landslide’ election win. In Westminster, it wasn’t hard to find government parliamentarians griping about their own record whilst in open rebellion.

The Welfare Bill debate on Tuesday was, for those of us who still wear the scars, a throwback to the chaos at the height of the Brexit debacle. Ministers were making U-turns at the despatch box just before key votes. It was difficult to keep up, so rapid was the disintegration of the Bill over the course of one afternoon. Potential rebels were unsure what they were voting for at the end of the day.

So feverish was the atmosphere that the Chancellor’s tears at Prime Minister’s Questions led to a bout of frenzied speculation as to what it all meant. The Conservatives, struggling to find a meaningful role themselves, were quick to jump on the visible upset of Rachel Reeves, in a way that reflected rather worse on them than the incumbent of Number 11.

It did, however, tell a story of a government that has lost its way. This week’s events were more reminiscent of an administration staggering to the end of its time in office rather than at the peak of its powers.

READ MORE: The UK stepped back as the rest of Europe stepped up, it is time for Scotland to rejoin the mainstream

Keir Starmer has failed to live up to the expectation of change that people wanted to see following last year’s rejection of the Conservatives (Picture: Carl Court) | Getty Images

Hard Tory Brexit remains

A major challenge is that Labour doesn’t know what it’s for. Inevitably it has failed to live up to the expectation of change that people wanted to see following last year’s rejection of the Conservatives. Westminster has levers Holyrood ministers could only dream of to deliver policies, but doesn’t use them.

The increasing levels of poverty in the UK, the lack of investment in infrastructure, an outdated parliamentary and electoral system, a hard Tory Brexit that no one seems to want and the UK certainly can’t afford – all areas they could have delivered on.

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A year ago, there was an appetite for change. Labour won a landslide in terms of seats, albeit a shallow one in terms of the vote because of who they weren’t. Rather than taking the historic opportunity afforded to them, unfathomably, Labour’s message has been one of continuity, the very thing that people had voted against.

Continuity was seen in the cuts to the winter fuel payment that hit the most vulnerable, continuity in failing to fix our relationship with the rest of Europe that hampers growth, and continuity in maintaining the Conservatives’ failed fiscal rules.

Contrast with Blair and Salmond

Labour won power and don’t know what to do with it. Compare with previous incoming administrations who knew that people had voted for change. In 1997 on day one as Chancellor, Gordon Brown made the Bank of England independent. In Scotland, in the days after the SNP’s narrow election win in 2007, Alex Salmond changed the name of the Scottish Executive to the Scottish Government, and scrapped bridge tolls amongst a range of other measures.

These actions by two distinct administrations told the electorate that not only had the voters’ message of change been heard but it was being delivered. These opening acts also told voters something of the governments’ plans.

Blair’s New Labour was determined to be financially prudent and Salmond’s administration was delivering a distinctive Scottish Government that would make up its own mind on policy and pursue devolution that diverged from Westminster where the First Minister believed that to be in Scotland’s best interest. Agree or disagree, these administrations knew what they were for from the start.

Wrong side of poverty issue

Even after this disastrous week, there is no sign of improvement. Government sources have briefed that the rebellion over the Welfare Bill will mean that the two-child cap will remain in place. The Child Poverty Action Group said of the latter policy: “This tax on siblings is the biggest driver of rising child poverty in the UK today.”

Former Blair adviser John McTernan remarked, with palpable frustration, that the government’s position appeared to be “you stopped us harming people with disabilities, so we’ll hurt children”. This Labour government seems to be on the wrong side of tackling poverty and getting people back to work.

Scottish Labour are no better. The day after the rebellion, there was a debate in Westminster Hall about the UK Government’s vision for Scotland. Labour MP after Labour MP stood up, not to talk about their hopes and aspirations for their own government, but rather to focus on the Scottish Government.

More than once, the chair had to remind Scottish Labour MPs that their job was to scrutinise the UK rather than the Scottish Government. Their focus on Holyrood is something of an unintentional complement to the SNP administration and says much about the lack of imagination or clear mission within the ranks of Scottish Labour MPs.

The UK Parliament has powers and responsibilities over Scotland far in excess of that of Holyrood. The fact that Labour MPs don’t have much to say about that speaks to a malaise in a party which doesn’t know what to do with the power it has attained.

Lacking credibility

This week Scottish Labour were one of the last holdouts of loyalty to Keir Starmer. The Welfare Bill would have a profound impact on the Scottish Parliament’s own efforts to reduce poverty, but few Scottish Labour MPs joined the rebellion.

As Labour leaders in Wales, London, Manchester and elsewhere were joining in calls for change to the Bill, Scottish Labour remained silent. Their claims that they wouldn’t introduce the changes in Holyrood, that they failed to oppose in Westminster, lack credibility.

That’s the problem. Labour showed this week that they lack credibility or a plan to end the chaos. One year on, the great change has led to more of the same.

Stephen Gethins is the MP for Arbroath and Broughty Ferry