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| Labour senior advisers should pay price for defeat, says Thornberry | Labour senior advisers should pay price for defeat, says Thornberry |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Leadership candidate says it is ‘sad’ that junior staff are facing layoffs while top team stay on | Leadership candidate says it is ‘sad’ that junior staff are facing layoffs while top team stay on |
| Emily Thornberry, a candidate for the Labour leadership, has said senior advisers should pay the price for the party’s disastrous election showing, rather than junior workers who are losing their jobs. | Emily Thornberry, a candidate for the Labour leadership, has said senior advisers should pay the price for the party’s disastrous election showing, rather than junior workers who are losing their jobs. |
| The shadow foreign secretary, who declared her candidacy on Wednesday, called for a different approach amid anger among Labour employees that two senior figures, Seumas Milne and Karie Murphy, are still in their posts. | The shadow foreign secretary, who declared her candidacy on Wednesday, called for a different approach amid anger among Labour employees that two senior figures, Seumas Milne and Karie Murphy, are still in their posts. |
| Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Thornberry insisted she was “not naming anyone”, but she appeared to be talking about Milne and Murphy, who are both on permanent contracts with the party. | Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Thornberry insisted she was “not naming anyone”, but she appeared to be talking about Milne and Murphy, who are both on permanent contracts with the party. |
| “People know who it is that I’m talking about. But the truth is now we’re in a position where there is talk of redundancies amongst more junior staff … that it may be necessary for them to be made redundant,” she said. “And yet those that made the very decisions about the general election don’t seem to be under threat.” | “People know who it is that I’m talking about. But the truth is now we’re in a position where there is talk of redundancies amongst more junior staff … that it may be necessary for them to be made redundant,” she said. “And yet those that made the very decisions about the general election don’t seem to be under threat.” |
| On ITV’s Peston programme on Wednesday night, when asked if she was surprised that people such as Milne were still in place, Thornberry said: “I think it is really sad to see the way in which the staff at the head office and in the leader’s office are being told that many of them may be being made redundant, but as far as I understand it the senior people within those teams are not under such a threat. | On ITV’s Peston programme on Wednesday night, when asked if she was surprised that people such as Milne were still in place, Thornberry said: “I think it is really sad to see the way in which the staff at the head office and in the leader’s office are being told that many of them may be being made redundant, but as far as I understand it the senior people within those teams are not under such a threat. |
| “It does seem to me that if decisions have been made, wrongly, it should be those people who pay the price and not those who were working night and day in junior positions.” | “It does seem to me that if decisions have been made, wrongly, it should be those people who pay the price and not those who were working night and day in junior positions.” |
| Milne is Jeremy Corbyn’s director of communications and strategy, and Murphy was Corbyn’s chief of staff before she moved to Labour HQ to run the election campaign. | Milne is Jeremy Corbyn’s director of communications and strategy, and Murphy was Corbyn’s chief of staff before she moved to Labour HQ to run the election campaign. |
| There have been reports that party staff expressed concern they could lose their posts while senior figures remained on the payroll. | There have been reports that party staff expressed concern they could lose their posts while senior figures remained on the payroll. |
| An email sent by Labour’s HR director, Joe Perry, on Wednesday and subsequently leaked said a “reduction in Short money through which we fund a lot of our political roles” meant changes would have to be made. | |
| Short money is funded by the taxpayer and allocated according to the party’s parliamentary strength. It was worth £8m to Labour in 2018, the party’s latest annual report showed. | Short money is funded by the taxpayer and allocated according to the party’s parliamentary strength. It was worth £8m to Labour in 2018, the party’s latest annual report showed. |
| A Labour spokesman said: “We don’t comment on staffing matters.” | A Labour spokesman said: “We don’t comment on staffing matters.” |
| Jess Phillips, another possible leadership contender, urged Labour to behave as the “party of the workers” when dealing with staff. She said: “People often forget party staff and the staff of MPs who lose. [The] Dickensian nature of giving marching orders before Christmas is heartbreaking, especially as it appears those with top jobs are protected. These people were not the authors of this loss, they did their very best.” | |
| Last year Milne was paid £104,000 and Murphy – a friend of the Unite leader, Len McCluskey – received £92,000. | Last year Milne was paid £104,000 and Murphy – a friend of the Unite leader, Len McCluskey – received £92,000. |