Labour Councillors And The Parliamentary Labour Party

EDM number 137 in 1989-90, proposed by Simon Hughes on 04/12/1989.

That this House congratulates Councillor Mrs Margaret Hodge for condemning her Labour Party colleagues in Tower Hamlets for 'betraying the people' with their proposed policy of not collecting the poll tax in the event of Labour ever gaining control of the Council from the Liberal Democrats; notes that her comments were endorsed by the honourable Member for Dagenham but attacked by Tower Hamlets Labour boss, Phil Maxwell, who accused her of speaking from an ivory tower which is coloured by her parliamentary ambitions; further notes that Labour councillors in Liverpool have been attacked over the poll tax, this time by the honourable Member for Liverpool, Broadgreen, who accuses them of also 'betraying the people', not for proposing to break the law but for agreeing to uphold the law and not supporting a campaign of non-payment; recognises the mess the Labour Party is in; and believes that what is happening within the Party in local government is a clear indication of the total unfitness of Her Majesty's Official Opposition to run the Government of the United Kingdom.

This motion has been signed by a total of 10 MPs, 1 of these signatures have been withdrawn.