WHATEVER HAPPENED TO CHANGE UK?

The eleven Change UK founders
back row l-r: Chris Leslie, Gavin Shuker, Chuka Umunna, Mike Gapes
middle: Angela Smith, Luciana Berger, Ann Coffey
bottom: Sarah Wollaston, Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry, Joan Ryan

One year ago today a group of eleven MPs formed Change UK, a party whose primary objective was to overturn the EU referendum.  Despite leaving the parties for whom they were elected, all refused to fight by-elections under their new banner.  The party was crushed in the European elections and was dissolved following the general election, at which none were re-elected to Parliament.

So, who faced the electorate and who bottled it?

Chris Leslie 

Leslie was the Labour MP for Nottingham East from 1997, a 57% Remain seat.  He defended the seat and finished fourth, losing his deposit.

Nadia Whittome (Lab) 25,735 (64.3%) -7.1%
Victoria Stapleton (Con) 8,342 (20.9%) -0.8%
Robert Swift (Lib Dem) 1,954 (4.9%) +2.3%
Chris Leslie (Change) 1,447 (3.6%) New
Damian Smith (Brexit) 1,343 (3.4%) New
Michelle Vacciana (Green) 1,183 (3.0%) +1.2%

Gavin Shuker

Shuker was the Labour MP for Luton South from 2010, a 55% Leave seat.  He left Change UK in June, but stood as an independent, finishing third.

Rachel Hopkins (Lab) 21,787 (51.8%) -10.6%
Parvez Akhtar (Con) 13,031 (31.0%) -1.3%
Gavin Shuker (Ind) 3,893 (9.3%) New
Garry Warren (Brexit) 1,601 (3.8%) New
Ben Foley (Green) 995 (2.4%) +1.4%
Mohammed Ashraf (Ind) 489 (1.2%) New
John French (Luton) 268 (0.6%) New

Chuka Umunna

Umunna was the Labour MP for Streatham from 2010, a 79% Remain seat.  He left Change UK in June and joined the Lib Dems later the same month.  He stood for the party in the Cities of London &Westminster, but failed to win.

Nickie Aiken (Con) 17,049 (39.9%) -6.7%
Chuka Umunna (Lib Dem) 13,096 (30.7%) +19.6% 
Gordon Nardell (Lab) 11,624 (27.2%) -11.2%
Zack Polanski (Green) 728 (1.7%) -0.4%
Jill McLachlan (Christian) 125 (0.3%) New
Dirk van Heck (Lib) 101 (0.2%) New

Mike Gapes

Gapes was the Labour MP for Ilford South from 1992, a 57% Remain seat.  He defended the seat, but finished third.

Sam Tarry (Lab) 35,085 (65.6%) -10.2%
Ali Azeem (Con) 10,984 (20.5%) -0.4%
Mike Gapes (Change) 3,891 (7.3%) New
Ashburn Holder (Lib Dem) 1,795 (3.4%) +2.0%
Munish Sharma (Brexit) 1,008 (1.9%) New
Rosemary Warrington (Green) 714 (1.3%) +0.4%

Angela Smith

Smith was the Labour MP for Penistone & Stocksbridge from 2005, a 61% Leave seat.  She left Change UK in June and joined the Lib Dems in September.  She stood for the party in Altrincham & Sale West and finished third.

Graham Brady (Con) 26,311 (48.0%) -3.0%
Andrew Western (Lab) 20,172 (36.8%) -2.0%

Angela Smith (Lib Dem) 6,036 (11.0%) +3.3%
Geraldine Coggins (Green) 1,566 (2.9%) +1.0%
Neil Taylor (Lib) 454 (0.8%) +0.3%
Iram Kiani (Ind) 224 (0.4%) New

Luciana Berger

Berger was the Labour MP for Liverpool Wavertree from 2010, a 65% Remain seat.  She left Change UK in June and joined the Lib Dems in September.  She stood for the party in Finchley & Golders Green, but failed to win.

Mike Freer (Con) 24,162 (43.8%) -3.1%
Luciana Berger (Lib Dem) 17,600 (31.9%) +25.3%
Ross Houston (Lab) 13,347 (24.2%) -19.6%

Ann Coffey

Coffey was the Labour MP for Stockport from 1992, a 53% Remain seat.  She stood down at the election.

Sarah Wollaston

Wollaston was the Conservative MP for Totnes from 2010, a 54% Leave seat.  She left Change UK in June and joined the Lib Dems in August.  She defended her seat as a Lib Dem, but lost.

Anthony Mangnall (Con) 27,751 (53.2%) - 0.5%
Sarah Wollaston (Lib Dem) 15,027 (28.8%) +15.9%
Louise Webberley (Lab) 8,860 (17.0%) -9.9%
John Kitson (Ind) 544 (1.0%) New

Heidi Allen

Allen was the Conservative MP for South Cambridgeshire from 2015, a 62% Remain seat.  She left Change UK in June and joined the Lib Dems in October.  She stood down at the election.

Anna Soubry

Soubry was the Conservative MP for Broxtowe from 2010, a 53% Leave seat.  She defended the seat, but finished third.

Darren Henry (Con) 26,602 (48.1%) +1.3%
Greg Marshall (Lab) 21,271 (38.5%) -6.8%
Anna Soubry (Change) 4,668 (8.5%) New
Kat Boettge (Green) 1,806 (3.3%) +2.0%
Amy Dalla Mura (Eng Dem) 432 (0.8%) New
Teck Khong (Ind) 321 (0.6%) New
David Bishop (Elvis) 172 (0.3%) New

Joan Ryan

Ryan was the Labour MP for Enfield North from 1997, a 51% Remain seat.  She stood down at the election.

CHANGE UK SPLITS

'Change UK' met today and its eleven MPs have decided to part ways.  This follows its European election disaster in which it spent shedloads of cash and finished eighth with not a single seat to show for its efforts.  The split itself was thought to have been triggered by a public spat between Anna Soubry and Change leader Heidi Allen.

Soubry will now take Heidi's place as leader while four of her colleagues stay put - Ann Coffey, Mike Gapes, Chris Leslie and Joan Ryan.

Those who have quit Change UK will return to being just plain old independents - Chuka, Heidi, Luciana Berger, Gavin Shuker, Angela Smith and Sarah Wollaston.

By-elections anyone?

FIVE QUIT LABOUR'S FRONT BENCH

Corbyn has tonight lost five members of his front bench over the second referendum amendment.  Ironically the amendment was proposed by Sarah Wollaston of the Independent Group, so one way or another Chuka is still giving his former party a few digs.

The five resignations were all triggered by Labour's cowardly policy of abstention, itself a u-turn on a u-turn.  Having recently come out in support of a second referendum, when it came to it they bottled it.  Or did they?  There are reports tonight that Corbyn and Starmer have held discussions with two backbenchers - Peter Kyle and Phil Wilson - about a deal they have proposed in which Labour would back May's deal in exchange for a second referendum.

The resigning frontbenchers who rebelled against the abstention decision are as follows.

Yvonne Fovargue (Makerfield - 65% Leave)
Emma Lewell-Buck (South Shields - 62% Leave)
Justin Madders (Ellesemere Port & Neston - 58% Leave)
Stephanie Peacock (Barnsley East - 71% Leave)
Ruth Smeeth (Stoke-on-Trent North - 72% Leave)

All five voted to oppose a second referendum.  However, they are not Brexiteers and they have consistently voted to frustrate Brexit in all the other votes this week.  Looking at the Leave votes in their constituencies there are no prizes for guessing why they decided a second referendum was a step too far...

I've resigned from Labour's front bench this evening in order to vote against a second referendum. This was a difficult decision but I have a duty to support the will of my constituents. We need to leave, and leave with a deal that works for the Potteries https://t.co/yOtP1jWsmS

— Ruth Smeeth MP (@RuthSmeeth) March 14, 2019

It is with deep regret I tonight resigned from Labour’s front bench, because I believe we should respect the result of the 2016 vote to leave the European Union: pic.twitter.com/oPGwMp974U

— Stephanie Peacock (@Steph_Peacock) March 14, 2019

LOSER'S VOTE AMENDMENT

The Sarah Wollaston (Independent Group) amendment on staging a second EU referendum has been heavily defeated by 334 votes to 85.  Keir Starmer had already indicated that Labour would not back the amendment, despite the party's recent policy u-turn on a second referendum.  Starmer, like most of his Labour colleagues, abstained from the vote as directed.  However, 25 Labour MPs still voted in favour of it, but only four of those represent Leave constituencies.  18 Labour MPs voted against.

The 25 Labour MPs who voted FOR the Wollaston amendment

Tonia Antioniazzi (Gower - 51% Remain)
Ann Clwyd (Cynon Valley - 57% Leave)
Neil Coyle (Bermondsey & Old Southwark - 74% Remain)
Stella Creasy (Walthamstow - 67% Remain)
Janet Daby (Lewisham East - 65% Remain)
Geraint Davies (Swansea West - 57% Remain)
Rosie Duffield (Canterbury - 55% Remain)
Paul Farrelly (Newcastle-under-Lyme - 62% Leave)
John Grogan (Keighley - 53% Leave)
Meg Hillier (Hackney South & Shoreditch - 77% Remain)
Ged Killen (Rutherglen & Hamilton West - 62% Remain)
David Lammy (Tottenham - 76% Remain)
Siobhain McDonough (Mitcham & Morden - 55% Remain)
Anna McMorrin (Cardiff North - 61% Remain)
Ian Murray (Edinburgh South - 78% Remain)
Albert Owen (Ynys Môn - 51% Leave)
Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Brighton Kemptown - 56 Remain)
Tulip Siddiq (Hampstead & Kilburn - 76% Remain)
Owen Smith (Pontypridd - 54% Remain)
Alex Sobel (Leeds North West - 65% Remain)
Jo Stevens (Cardiff Central - 68% Remain)
Gareth Thomas (Harrow West - 55% Remain)
Catherine West (Hornsey & Wood Green - 75% Remain)
Martin Whitfield (East Lothian - 65% Remain)
Daniel Zeichner (Cambridge - 74% Remain)

The 18 Labour MPs who voted AGAINST the Wollaston amendment

Kevin Barron
Ronnie Campbell
Rosie Cooper
Caroline Flint
Yvonne Fovargue - resigned from the front bench in order to vote
Kate Hoey
Helen Jones
Kevan Jones
Emma Lewell-Buck - resigned from the front bench in order to vote
Justin Madders - resigned from the front bench in order to vote
John Mann
Stephanie Peacock - resigned from the front bench in order to vote
Lloyd Russell-Moyle
Ruth Smeeth - resigned from the front bench in order to vote
Gareth Snell
John Spellar
Graham Stringer
Derek Twigg

Alongside other leading supporters of a people’s vote, I am abstaining on TIG amendment. This statement alongside other colleagues explains why. We hope that our supporters outside Parliament trust our judgement and trust that we’re doing the right thing for the right reasons. pic.twitter.com/IcpBqaoNvD

— Wes Streeting MP (@wesstreeting) March 14, 2019

CHUKA APPOINTS HIS TEAM

Chuka's Independent Group have clearly had a busy week planning for the future (all three years of it, if that).  Of course they'd rather have spent the week welcoming new members, but the flow appears to have trickled to a full stop.  Anyhow, they've allocated their roles...

No surprises to see Chuka as de facto leader aka "spokesman", but interesting to see some of the other choices.  Poor Gavin Shuker has been designated "group convener", a title that sounds about as important as that of teaboy!  Surely 'chairman' would have sounded better?  Sarah Wollaston also appears to have gone to the bottom of the pile as her role sounds like someone who answers the front door at a house party.  The problem with that analogy is the doorbell hasn't rang since she and her Tory colleagues signed up.

Soubry is responsible for Brexit, a role more accurately described as 'stopping Brexit'.  Angela 'Funny Tinge' Smith has got a surprisingly big portfolio for an idiot.  Berger, Gapes and Leslie appear to be Chuka's top dogs.

It's all moot, of course.  None of them will be MPs after the next election.

THREE TORIES JOIN CHUKA & CO

Together at last!

Conservative MPs Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry and Sarah Wollaston have today resigned the party whip and joined up with the Independent Group of anti-Brexit former Labour MPs.  This takes the tally to 11 MPs and gives the group the same number of MPs as the Lib Dems!

Who are the latest remoaner quitters?

Heidi Allen has been the MP for South Cambridgeshire since 2015.  This is a 62% Remain voting constituency.

Anna Soubry, one of the highest profile remoaners in Parliament.  She has been the MP for Broxtowe in Nottinghamshire since 2010.  Broxtowe is a 53% Leave voting constituency.

Sarah Wollaston has been the MP for Totnes in Devon since 2010.  Initially a Vote Leave supporter at the start of the referendum campaign, she switched to Remain shortly before the vote.  Totnes is a 54% Leave voting constituency.

It is with a heavy heart I have today resigned from the Conservative Party. pic.twitter.com/wzPUB84w5Z

— Anna Soubry MP (@Anna_Soubry) February 20, 2019