The Labour Party's membership has shot up since election day, rising by more than 13,000 to 167,000 - a rise of 8.5 per cent.
The Labour Party’s membership has shot up since election day, rising by more than 13,000 to 167,000 – a rise of 8.5 per cent, many of them former Liberal Democrat members and supporters displeased and disillusioned by their party’s alliance with the Conservatives. Today’s Guardian reports that 100 people have left the Lib Dems since the coalition was announced, with 400 joining.
One of those to have resigned is Jane Watkinson, who summed up the feelings of many in the Lib Dems by saying:
“If I cannot voice my opposition to the coalition without being said to threaten the actual party, I am afraid my position as a LibDem member is untenable. My policy disagreements are vast, but here are a few I am specfically adverse to:
“I did not like our policies on immigration already, but we are now going to support a total cap – illiberal; we are accepting their eurosceptic stance on EU, saying that we will not let anymore powers go from Westminster to Brussels. Illiberal and out of touch…
“We have removed our commitment to removing Trident, and actually today seeing the confirmation of more nucelar power; we can only abstain against many Tory proposals such as marriage tax, higher education policies that may include an uncaping of the tution fees.
“Inheritance tax is not dropped – will most likely reappear; it is undemocratic to have a new 55% majority to bring down the govrenment, basically securing the term; we are going to cut at a much faster and deeper rate, something Vince Cable had said would threaten a double dip recession.“
The testimonies of some of the new Labour Party members can be found here. Among the reasons cited are:
• “Because I was appalled that Nick Clegg has backed the tories.”
• “I really regret my tactical vote in the election and want to support the party I want to govern the United Kingdom.”
• “I made the mistake of voting for the Liberal Democrats, first, and last time.”
• “Previously having been a Liberal Democrat, I was disgusted to see them ‘sell out’ by allying with the Tories and would like to support the only major progressive party left.”
• “Frustrated at tactically voting Lib Dems who then form an alliance with the Tory party. Will never vote Lib Dem again and stick and support Labour.”
• “I am a former Liberal Democrat supporter who feels betrayed by their coalition with the Conservatives – I now feel Labour is the only viable progressive force in British politics.”
Additionally, John Healey, housing minister under the last government, is calling for former Lib Dem members who wish to join Labour to be given six months’ free membership, and Progress has called for a more open Labour Party membership policy, in which new members pay £1 now for six months and enjoy voting rights in the leadership election.
55 Responses to “Labour membership up 13,000 as angry Lib Dems desert”
Chakra Sampath
Is there a way of verifying these claims independently? RT @leftfootfwd: Lab membership up 13000 as angry LDs desert: http://bit.ly/azpVnO
Justin Baidoo
RT @leftfootfwd: Labour membership up 13,000 as angry Lib Dems desert: http://bit.ly/azpVnO
Guido Fawkes
Or is it up 13,000 because Gordon has gone?
Sunder Katwala
If it is accurate that 100 people have left the LibDems (with 400 joining), and that 13,000 people have joined Labour, then I would posit that the ex-LibDem members do not make up “many” of the Labour recruits.
If all of the LibDems who had left had joined Labour (which they won’t have), then they would make up well under 1% of the labour members.
It sounds as though a great many party supporters, identifiers and broader anti-Tory people – perhaps including some LibDem voters/identifiers – have decided it does matter and it is time to get involved in the next phase of Labour politics, which is great.
Rupert Read
Yes, as Sunder points out, this article is not very well-written.
It is also rather annoying that you headline the Labour Party, in an article which majors on Jane Wilkinson’s defection… to the Green Party! You wouldn’t know that she had gone Green, from the article itself (although her reasons for leaving the LDs do make it fairly clear that it would be odd, to say the least, for her to have gone from there to Labour, rather than to the Greens).
Can I humbly suggest that some editing work is done on this piece?