Following on from yesterday’s report of her sacking as the Party’s Spokesperson for Women and Equalities, and Scotland, Christine Jardine has published what can only be described as a classy response…
Dear Ed,
It is with sadness I am responding to your decision to remove me as the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Women and Equalities, and Scotland following the Welfare Bill votes.
I wanted to thank you for all the support you have given me over the past 8 years. Please know I wish my successors all the best, and I will do anything I can to aid them in their new role.
It is not a surprise to you that I have been unhappy about how we have voted in some instances in recent months, but my loyalty to the party meant I would not, and did not break the whip. I have always understood we are asked to do things we don’t agree with, but this vote was personal to me in a way which meant I could not abstain. I want to set out my reasons for my decision.
As you know, my late husband Calum, was bipolar. Several people around me have mental health conditions the amendment dismissed as ‘minor’, and not worthy of support. I could not in good conscience do anything other than vote against another Conservative attempt to remove help from those who need it the most. Regardless of my personal circumstances, as Equalities Spokesperson, this is an equalities issue and I could not let down those who are relying on people in power to speak on their behalf. The expression of support I have had from members of the public, the membership and members across the House, has reassured me the choice I made was right, and I am content with that.
The Liberal Democrats, and the Scottish Liberal Democrats, remain my political home. What has happened today doesn’t diminish my commitment and I will continue to work hard on the issues I care about. Never has the country needed people, politicians, to do this more than right now. I will do everything I can to ensure the delivery of the liberal country, and world, we both want to see, especially in the run up to the crucial elections in Scotland next year.
Finally, I would like to thank all party and parliamentary staff, as well as the volunteers who have been alongside me on this journey. I am so grateful to them for all they do.
Best,
Christine Jardine MP
Edinburgh West
* Please note that, for this post, pre-moderation of comments is in place.
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9 Comments
I have worked alongside Christine over the last year on the front bench and I am proud to call her my friend. She has done a fantastic job as Equalities Spokesperson and has defended the rights of vulnerable groups with vigour and compassion.
I want to publicly thank her for her commitment to our LGBT+ community in particular and hope that her replacement in this role will reinforce our place as the party that speaks up for marginalised groups.
As a spokesperson and a new MP I have learned a lot from Christine and know she will be speaking up loud and proud from the back benches
What, in everyday speak, was/is the purpose/reason relating to the exclusion of Christine Jardine?
Very poor group management. Christine should never have been pushed into this position.
Thank you Christine for all you’ve done, and doubtless will continue to do with great style, with and for people in our communities whose voice is often not listened to, let alone heard and celebrated.
I am very supportive of Christine and her decision. I am very unhappy that our MPs were not whipped to vote against the dreadful Tory amendment. I am also very disappointed in the way that Christine found out she had been sacked as Spokesperson (i.e.. from a journalist’s tweet.). We should have higher standards than that.
@Steve Trevethan
“What, in everyday speak, was/is the purpose/reason relating to the exclusion of Christine Jardine?”
Collective responsibility: the need to ensure all the Lib Dem shadow cabinet present a consistent front. I can think of two reasons for this:
1 acting collectively and consistently enables more to be achieved than when leadership voices are inconsistent; and
2 avoiding giving our enemies opportunity to portray the leadership group as divided
In addition, voters are far less likely to support parties with divided leaderships.
A really, really classy reply from Christine. As I understand it, there was an agreed and whipped decision to abstain on the Tory amendment. For the reasons why, see the very good briefing from Steve Darling. Christine and 7 others felt they had to vote against. Christine was the only front-bencher. You can’t have a front-bencher not voting the agreed and whipped way. I assume although I don’t know, that Christine and the 7 others advised Wendy C the Chief Whip that they would be voting against? I would hope so. The Parliamentary Party and ALL Council Groups will have Standing Orders where it is stated they cannot vote differently to a Whipped vote…or at least they should have. As I said, you can’t have a front-bencher not voting the agreed and whipped way. Otherwise, chaos reigns. (Yes, in my 26 years on Bedford Borough Council, I was the Whip for part of that time!!). It would be up to Wendy C as the Chief Whip to tell Christine she was being removed from her front-bench post, not Ed.
The departure of CJ as a front bench spokes was sadly inevitable. I believe it was made clear to her what the consequences of not following the whip would be and once that had happened it would have been very difficult not to follow through.
The big mistake was the decision to abstain on the terrible Tory amendment. If the party had voted against or allowed a free vote then this would not have happened. I hope that lessons will be learned and that abstention will not now be a LibDem practice.
CJ is one of our most talented MPs. I hope after a short period of time she will be back on the front bench, where her performance and actions on equality have been first rate.
I think adding equality to the already huge brief of Lisa Smart is a mistake. It is unfair to Lisa and I urge the parliamentary party and the leader to think again.
While not wanting to take sides on an issue I am not particularly informed about there might be a case for allowing appeals from elected representatives who in certain circumstances are actioned for not voting as instructed as long as this is informed in advance to the leadership and an adequate explanation is provided. I believe this is allowed in certain local government councils.