Labour leadership candidates have similar records on the issues
With Owen Smith’s hat in the ring, Jeremy Corbyn has two potential challengers for Labour Party leader.
How do the three compare on the issues?
Owen Smith
Owen Smith says he would be a ‘radical and credible’ leader, and his voting record bears this out.
He has backed increasing welfare payments, including benefits for disabled people, and voted against welfare cuts (including the Bedroom Tax) and cuts to local government funds.
Smith voted with his party to abstain on the July 2015 welfare bill, but voted against the bill in its third reading.
Smith has consistently voted for gay rights (including same-sex marriage) and assisted dying for the terminally ill, and wants to see a wholly elected House of Lords.
Smith has voted against tax cuts for the wealthy and backed a higher rate of tax for top earners, while opposing higher taxes that affect lower-income earners, like VAT and alcohol.
He backed a bankers’ bonus tax and Labour’s proposed mansion tax.
Smith has also consistently voted against restrictions on trade unions.
On health and education, Smith has voted against privatisation measures, including academies, and consistently voted against having university tuition fees and against raising them to £9,000.
His votes on devolution to Wales and Scotland and to local councils are a mixed bag, and he has opposed stricter asylum and immigration rules.
On security, Smith says he opposed the Iraq war, though he wasn’t an MP when the vote was taken in 2003.
He has since voted for a no-fly zone in Libya during the Arab Spring effort to topple Gaddafi (2011), against taking action in Syria after Assad used chemical weapons (2013), for airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq (2014) and against airstrikes against ISIS in Syria (2015).
Smith said this morning he was for multilateral nuclear disarmament, but currently backs replacing Britain’s Trident submarines (a view popular with trade unions), and his votes reflect this.
He has voted for bulk retention of communication data by security services, and backed measures to prevent climate change.
Conclusion: Owen Smith’s voting record shows a commitment to a Left programme for social justice, opposing privatisation, a cautious but internationalist foreign policy, and greater equality.
Angela Eagle
Angela Eagle has promised ‘real leadership’ to bring party and country together – and lead Labour into government.
On welfare and benefits, her votes are as strong as Owen Smith’s, including on government jobs programmes for young people who are unemployed. (Like Smith, she abstained on the welfare bill in July 2015 but voted against in its third reading.)
She voted against tax cuts for top earners and voted for a higher top rate of tax, plus voted for a tax on bankers’ bonuses, and Labour’s mansion tax, while opposing higher taxes that affect lower-income earners, like VAT and alcohol.
She has consistently voted against restrictions on trade unions.
Eagle has consistently voted for gay rights, (including same-sex marriage), and assisted dying for the terminally ill, and wants to see a wholly elected House of Lords.
Like Smith, she has voted against stricter asylum and immigration laws, and for the bulk data retention, but also supported Labour’s anti-terrorism laws and plans to introduce ID cards. (Smith was not in parliament at the time.)
Eagle has opposed privatisation measures in health and education, including academies, and voted against tripling university tuition fees. However, Eagle generally voted for tuition fees.
On security, Eagle has generally voted for replacing Trident nuclear submarines, and voted with her party in support of the Iraq war in 2003.
Eagle voted against taking action in Syria after Assad used chemical weapons (2013), for airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq (2014) and for airstrikes against ISIS in Syria (2015). (She was absent for the Libya vote in 2011.)
Taken with her support for Labour’s anti-terrorism measures, this suggests a security policy based on tackling Islamist terrorism, but cautious of intervening against dictators post-Iraq.
Unlike Smith, Eagle consistently voted for ministers being able to intervene in inquests. Their records on devolution to Wales, Scotland and local councils are similar, as are votes to prevent climate change.
Conclusion: Angela Eagle’s voting record is one of a solid social democrat working for greater equality, social justice, opposing privatisation, and a security policy based on keeping Brits safe.
Jeremy Corbyn
As the incumbent, Jeremy Corbyn’s positions are already well-known, and his voting record is consistent over many years in parliament.
He consistently voted for raising welfare payments and benefits, including for disabled people, and opposed cuts to welfare spending.
Last July he was one of 48 Labour rebels who voted against the government’s welfare bill, on which the party abstained. This helped secure his election as Labour Party leader less than two months later.
Corbyn has opposed tax cuts for the wealthy and voted for higher taxes for top earners, along with opposing VAT rises. However, he voted for raising tax on alcohol in 2010.
Unlike his rivals for Labour leader, Corbyn voted against assisted dying for the terminally ill in 1997.
Like his rivals, he has voted against cuts to corporation tax, against trebling tuition fees and against privatisation measures in health and education, including academies.
Also like his rivals, he backs a wholly elected House of Lords, has opposed stricter asylum and immigration laws, has a mixed record on devolution, and has voted against curbs to trade unions.
The biggest single policy difference is on security and foreign policy. Corbyn has voted against every use of military force up for a vote in parliament, including in Iraq, Libya, Syria, and on airstrikes against ISIS. He has also voted against Labour’s anti-terrorism laws and bulk retention of data.
He leads a minority in his party on not replacing Trident nuclear submarines – a position the Labour Party NEC voted against debating at September’s party conference, before effectively backing replacement as Labour’s long-standing position.
Conclusion: Jeremy Corbyn’s voting record shows consistency over many years on Labour’s hard-Left, with a commitment to greater equality, social justice, opposing privatisation, and a non-interventionist foreign policy, with curbs to anti-terror laws and no nuclear deterrent.
Obviously, Labour voters will consider much besides voting records when choosing a new party leader.
But it’s worth noting that on the issues, there is little space between the three candidates on domestic policy. All three are certainly to the Left of Ed Miliband.
In other words, there are no ‘Blairites’ currently in the race.
On foreign affairs, Corbyn is an outlier among MPs, with stances popular with sections of the party. But again, there are no ‘hawks’ or ‘neo-cons’ in sight – at least based on the evidence.
UPDATE: This piece has been amended to say both Smith and Eagle voted against the Welfare Bill in its third reading.
Adam Barnett is staff writer for Left Foot Forward. Follow him on Twitter @AdamBarnett13
See: Jeremy Corbyn lacks support from union members, says YouGov poll
23 Responses to “Owen Smith, Angela Eagle and Jeremy Corbyn – what’s the difference?”
Linda Peterson
May seem a daft question, but If their policies are all so similar, why on earth are they trying so desperately to remove the democratically elected leader only 9 months after he was elected? Why aren’t they supporting him to get those policies (on which they all purportedly agree) pushed through and to wholeheartedly defeat this Tory government whenever the next election is called. Or is it just the playground bullying technique of ostracising someone because they are “not popular”.
Robbie Leslie
On John Wood’s comment.
You are so right John. Unfortunately the days of heavyweight politicians lie in the past. In 1976 Labour ‘big beasts’ were present across all wings of the party. Just to name a few – Denis Healy, David Owen, Roy Hattersly, Barbara Castle, Shirley Williams, Michael Foot, Roy Jenkins, Peter Short, Tony Benn. None of them had a background in the media, political lobbying or ‘special advising’. They all had heft and hinterland plus an intellectually-reasoned argument for their favoured form of socialism/social democracy.
Can anyone name nine members of the current PLP with similar clout?
The era of the professional politician has sold us all very short…
Paul
I voted for Jeremy Corbyn but will change to Owen Smith, the EU referendum was a disaster for labour, only 30% of the constituencies where have an MP voted remain, we are losing ground to red UKIP in many areas. Nothing positive was said about the EU we didn’t tackle immigration and sovereignty. Jeremy Corbyn should take responsibility for the poor campaign. I am also concerned that we are starting almost to have a personality cult with Momentum suggesting we vote for members to the NEC just because they support Jeremy, this is not right.
Nick
corbyn is the real deal and if he can get the likes of myself on board who is retired from the bank of England so much the better
i like him and he should do well’ but the majority of the public today are very different and are much more insular and selfish today ‘traits i thank god have never had
There is an old saying about if your face fits ? and this is a classic example of that’ corbyns face in reality does not fit but then neither do the other candidates
jo cox’s would have been ideal with fresh ideas and popular with the whole house so i would suggest to Jeremy that he take time out to find a jo cox replacement and stand down as that is really the only way forward for labour
at the end of the day he has to convert conservatives to vote for him and to halt the rise of UKIP’ this is a mammoth task and in reality could only be achieved by a person who has the personality as life is like this sometimes as i know myself i get treated like royalty in countries like Egypt and Tunisia and i’ll never know as to why ?
I do so hope Jeremy can look as this from my angle as it is the only Honorable way forward
Martyn Wood-Bevan
Apparently in his previous employment he was known as “Oily” Smith because he always told people what they wanted to hear. He is NOT a conviction politician and is trying hard to paint himself as almost an acceptable left-winger. He seriously lacks authenticity, like Angela Eagle who get her constituency job by very dubious means, just as she is trying to become leader now. I would not trust either of them.