Sentences with phrase «on the front bench»

But she appeared to rule herself out, saying her 20 years on the front bench had been a «very long stint».

To say the one thing they have a big objection to is an equality measure; the one thing that makes them unable to stay on the front bench is an equality measure.

He says there are 10 ministers on the front bench.

The immigration minister was on the front bench for almost the entire debate, so she will have seen the weight of opinion from MPs from all parties.

One senior figure who is hoping to secure a place on the front bench took me aside for a private chat in his office.

It's interesting that some gaps on the front bench are filled more quickly than others.

He is ideally placed to benefit from his leader's desire for fresh blood on the front benches.

But what about his future, specifically on the front bench?

A few points about women on the front bench do spring to mind though.

«Our party has always been a broad church, and despite my principled differences with Jeremy over many issues of defence, foreign policy and national security, I agreed to serve on his front bench because of the mandate he was given, his assurances that honesty and difference were welcomed, and due to the many areas we agreed wholeheartedly on such as fighting the vicious Tory trade union bill - which I was proud to lead our work on - cuts to tax credits and tackling climate change.

She now sits on the front bench as shadow minister for women & equalities and is often deployed to fight the Corbynite corner on the airwaves.

Jack Straw has waved goodbye to a decades - long career on the front bench of British politics today, with a final keynote speech to conference lambasting the coalition.

Spelman was given prominent cabinet support as George Osborne, Iain Duncan Smith, Andrew Mitchell and the chief whip, Patrick McLoughlin, sat on the front bench in a public display of support.

Sources close to Ed Miliband have been noting that the original decision to retain Woolas on the front bench as immigration minister was initially taken by Ms Harman, then the acting leader.

However, I kept hearing from other colleagues on the front bench just how difficult or impossible it was to get a decision out of him on important policy issues — the very thing Jeremy is supposed to be good on.

There needs to be a politics that reflects the left opinion of a large number of members and a fair number of MPs, many now on the front benches.

If he is sitting there, on the front bench at PMQs, the focus of Ed Miliband's and Labour's attack will be on him.

My Crown Vic test car had front bucket seats with a center console, whereas the cars of the past could seat up to three people on the front bench seat.

Ed Miliband's grim face on the front bench told the story.

On Monday 16 December Heseltine sat on the front bench with obvious disapproval when Brittan told the House that it was up to Westland to decide; on Wednesday 18 December he won the backing of the Commons Defence Committee for the European Consortium.

Chuka Umunna, also listed as hostile, said: «I was never offered a job on the front bench by Jeremy but have been strongly opposing the Tory government from the backbenches.

Labour have silenced the few of their elected members with talent and the ability to speak plainly and honestly to the electorate and been left with a bunch of incompetent, corrupt nodding dogs on their front bench.

Is Miliband guilty, in the words of one former minister, «of a huge mistake and misjudgement», in retaining the tainted Woolas on his front bench?

Ms Haigh, who has moved from being a shadow Cabinet Office minister to a post in Tom Watson's shadow culture, media and sport team, had even been sent a letter from Mr Corbyn thanking her for staying on the front bench after the wave of resignations which saw scores of senior MPs depart in June.

Freed from the party machine, he is cutting, he is humorous, he's got a real way of highlighting poverty and the lack of joined up thinking from this government with humour and a flair that I think would be amazing back on the front bench.

Looking at the careers of these (and Margaret Beckett), I think it shows that long termers who solely owe their position on the front bench to the fact that they were Minister for Spoons twenty years ago aren't necessarily the most capable ministers either.

I can not defend or support it and on those circumstances I can't see any way that I would serve on his front bench again.»

At the Commons debate on anti-Semitism, Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson pointedly moved away from Comrade Corbyn on the front bench to sit next to Labour MPs Ruth Smeeth and Luciana Berger, whose emotional descriptions of the abuse they've been subjected to by Corbyn supporters for being Jewish triggered a rare standing ovation.

But Mr Flynn will still keep his seat on the front bench - because he was also doubling up jobs as Shadow Leader of the Commons.

Ken Clarke and Vince Cable are sat next to each other on the front bench.

The Labour MP Graham Jones has been critical of Corbyn's leadership and refused to serve on the front bench under him.

Ruth Kelly (transport) and Alan Johnson (health) are sniggering and whispering on the front bench like naughty schoolchildren.

As a backbencher she is far more well known, articulate and passionate than many on the front bench.

Young rising stars have shone on the front bench and we found that the party is more united on policy than we would ever have guessed.

The impasse was then resolved after an intervention by former shadow culture secretary Maria Eagle, with Debbonaire continuing to serve on the front bench until late June, when she tendered her resignation.

Others — such as Sadiq Khan and David Lammy — were never on the front bench to start with.

The newly - appointed Culture Secretary Sajid Javid was seen sat on the front bench during today's Prime Minister's Questions.

For years, Scots have disproportionately occupied space on the front benches.

I think some of the people on the front bench need to think very carefully about how they have conducted themselves and they need to do better than this to be a credible opposition.»

She sat behind David Cameron on the front bench as he addressed MPs on the findings of Sir John Chilcot's long - awaited inquiry into the Iraq War yesterday.

Otherwise, Corbyn could struggle to secure a decent gender balance on his front bench.

Defence is an important area, but how can DC justify wasting the obvious talents of LF in an area that can easily be performed by anyone else on the front bench.

Political journalist Ian Dunt tweeted: «Becoming quite irritated by Theresa May looking half asleep on front bench.

It can't be long before he gets a job on the Front Bench surely?

Continue reading «Lansley under supported on front bench, but strongly supported from backbenches»»

But if she does that, the hard Brexiter lunatics on the front bench, like Boris Johnson and Michael Gove, will join forces with those outside it, like Iain Duncan Smith, and bring her down.

«I know Christmas is over but I think one of the pantomimes left a pantomime dame on the front bench,» Duncan Smith said as he jabbed a finger in Bryant's direction.

Hague, Osborne and May are chuckling away like dolls on the front bench.

# 5 may not mean much to some of the men on the front bench opposite,» he says.