Browns revolting backbenchers

Always nice to see some backbenchers finding their spine - in particular Karen Buck MP.

She's known to us and get's a decent amount of attention on the Professor's DVD, where her statement, "I voted against the war in Iraq" was called into question. Karen was quick to point out she's independent-minded, had voted against her party on many occasions etc. etc.




We’d like to clarify some points.

1) You may hear on your playback what appears to be the interviewer (or Ms Buck) breaking wind. It isn't. Neither is it the sound of the interviewer blowing a raspberry.

2) We’ll leave it to you to decide whether Karen Buck’s voting record leans towards free-thinking or the party whip. The bare stats for the times she went against her party are ;

5 May 2005 to present day : 1 vote out of 329, 0.3%
7 Jun 2001 to 11 Apr 2005 : 16 votes out of 923, 1.7%
1 May 1997 to 14 May 2001 : 1 vote out of 893 or 0.1%

Today's "Independent" casts her as one of Labours revolting backbench MPs with regard to the government's planned housing benefit cuts for some of the UKs poorest families. "We should not under any circumstances be taking money from the poorest and making them choose between reasonable housing bills and meeting day-to-day expenses".

Let's see which way Karen votes on this one, and we wait with baited breath as to how she subsequently describes her voting record on housing benefits.