Owen Jones calls out a Labour MP accused of ‘propping up’ the government

Split screen of Owen Jones and Kate Hoey


Support us and go ad-free

Guardian columnist Owen Jones has called out Labour MP Kate Hoey for tweeting in defence of the Tories:

But it’s safe to say that this isn’t Hoey’s first offence.

Deal or no deal

Jones is referring to Hoey’s retweet of a Spectator article [paywall] with the headline Don’t blame the Tories for a Brexit ‘no deal’:

Related articles

Read on...

Support us and go ad-free

In the piece, Spiked editor Brendan O’Neill blames [paywall] the EU for the threat of a ‘no deal Brexit’. (Note: He had previously praised Hoey and other ‘Brexit rebels’ in another Spectator article [paywall].)

Hoey clearly agrees with this stance:

O’Neill argues [paywall] that:

if the only deal that will be acceptable to the EU is one which goes against this vote for greater democratic control and keeps Britain beholden to EU rules and laws, then ‘no deal’ becomes more likely, and more attractive.

A mess of the Tories’ making

But people on social media are pointing out that, without the Tories, Britain wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place:

Meanwhile, others have questioned what the EU is supposed to do in response to this government’s farcical Brexit strategy:

Final warning

This is not the first time Hoey has sided with the government. On 17 July, she was one of four Labour MPs who voted with the government on a key Brexit trade bill. The government won the vote with an incredibly slender majority of six votes. No wonder Jones called her out then too:

And Hoey’s decision to prop up the government in its time of need means that some people blame her for the threat of a ‘no deal Brexit’:

True to form

Hoey is a Brexiteer with strong ties to other high-profile Brexiteers such as Arron Banks and Nigel Farage.

And her continual siding with far-right figures and defence of the Tories means that calls for her deselection are intensifying.

Wrong priorities

Hoey is entitled to her view on Brexit, of course:

Yet her actions are propping up this wretched Tory government, which has decimated Britain – overseeing huge rises in poverty and homelessness, cutting key public services, and creating a hostile environment for immigrants.

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell says he has warned Hoey and the three other Labour rebels that:

the more they prop up this government, the more damage this government will do…

this government is reeling now and the longer this goes [on] the more damage it’s going to do to our country – leave aside party, this is damage to the country.

But Hoey clearly hasn’t heeded this warning.

Jones is right. She has no place within the Labour Party.

Get Involved!

– Join The Canary, so we can keep holding the powerful to account.

Featured image via FoxNews/YouTube and Channel4News/YouTube

Support us and go ad-free

We need your help to keep speaking the truth

Every story that you have come to us with; each injustice you have asked us to investigate; every campaign we have fought; each of your unheard voices we amplified; we do this for you. We are making a difference on your behalf.

Our fight is your fight. You’ve supported our collective struggle every time you gave us a like; and every time you shared our work across social media. Now we need you to support us with a monthly donation.

We have published nearly 2,000 articles and over 50 films in 2021. And we want to do this and more in 2022 but we don’t have enough money to go on at this pace. So, if you value our work and want us to continue then please join us and be part of The Canary family.

In return, you get:

* Advert free reading experience
* Quarterly group video call with the Editor-in-Chief
* Behind the scenes monthly e-newsletter
* 20% discount in our shop

Almost all of our spending goes to the people who make The Canary’s content. So your contribution directly supports our writers and enables us to continue to do what we do: speaking truth, powered by you. We have weathered many attempts to shut us down and silence our vital opposition to an increasingly fascist government and right-wing mainstream media.

With your help we can continue:

* Holding political and state power to account
* Advocating for the people the system marginalises
* Being a media outlet that upholds the highest standards
* Campaigning on the issues others won’t
* Putting your lives central to everything we do

We are a drop of truth in an ocean of deceit. But we can’t do this without your support. So please, can you help us continue the fight?

The Canary Support us

Comments are closed

Related articles