We spoke to Jonathan Ashworth, who was in the shadow cabinet under Jeremy Corbyn and Sir Keir Starmer but lost his Leicester South seat in last July’s election. He now runs the think tank Labour Together.
We asked for his reaction to Tulip Siddiq’s resignation.
Jonathan Ashworth: Well, I think it is a credit to Tulip that she has resigned this evening because she did refer herself to the independent adviser on these matters. The adviser found that she hasn’t broken the code, but she recognised that she was becoming a distraction. And in the circumstances, she’s left the frontbench. I think that’s the right thing to do. And of course I think her behaviour is a stark contrast to the behaviour that we saw from various Conservative politicians in the last government.
Matt Frei: So she resigned because she thought she was becoming a distraction. You could argue that a distraction is precisely what the government needs at the moment with all its economic woes?
Jonathan Ashworth: No, I would not and I don’t accept your rather mischievous characterisation there. This is a government which is focused on growing the economy. That’s the preoccupation of this government. As you know, we’ve had anaemic growth for many years under the Conservatives.
Matt Frei: So was the prime minister, as the opposition has alleged, protecting his close personal friend and fellow North London MP Tulip Siddiq?
Jonathan Ashworth: No. I don’t understand what the opposition are getting out of making that point. The prime minister was overseeing due process. Tulip Siddiq had referred herself to the ministerial adviser who was looking into it and quite rightly waited for the outcome of that inquiry. The ministerial adviser said she hadn’t broken the code, but in the circumstances she thought it was the right decision nonetheless to leave the frontbench. I think it’s important that the prime minister follows due process and if the Tories think there’s something else untoward has happened, rather than spreading innuendo, they should just spell it out.
Matt Frei: Not so long ago the prime minister said he had complete confidence in Tulip Siddiq. Does he still have confidence in Tulip Siddiq even though she’s done the honourable and right thing to resign?
Jonathan Ashworth: Well, he has confidence in her to continue as a member of Parliament, of course, and he recognises that the ministerial code has not been broken.
Matt Frei: The fact that the pound is the worst performing major currency this week, the fact that our borrowing costs are at a 16 year high, the fact that business confidence has dropped dramatically in recent months, you know, these are not global problems. These are problems of the government’s making, aren’t they?
Jonathan Ashworth: Well, the dollar is strengthened, which has an impact on currencies across the world. There is turbulence in the bond market. Yields are high in the US as well. It was only six months ago that this government was elected and they found a hole in the public finances. They have to make tough decisions to stabilise the public finances.
Matt Frei: I wonder what you make of this poll that was published yesterday. It’s the first YouGov poll since the elections and it has the following results. Labour on 26%, right? That’s pretty low for a party in government. Reform on 25%, 1% behind you.
Jonathan Ashworth: So the fact that Nigel Farage over Christmas, for example, said he wanted to introduce charging into the National Health Service, I don’t believe your viewers in Barnsley, Bolsover or Bolton, want to be charged to go to their local hospital.
Matt Frei: But why do you think that Reform has done so well? I mean, you know, in terms of the Tories and in terms of Labour, one percentage point behind the party in government. Reform UK didn’t exist until a few years ago.
Jonathan Ashworth: Well, that’s why politicians, Labour politicians have got to start spelling out the implications of Reform and what it would mean if we had a Kemi Badenoch-Nigel Farage ‘coalition of chaos government.’