The rest of Northern Ireland’s MPs sit on the opposition benches – as did the DUP when they were propping up Theresa May’s government when she lost her overall majority in 2017. The SDLP’s MPs have sat with Labour in the past under previous governments, including during the Blair era. It is a sister party of Labour, which does not stand candidates in Northern Ireland, instead referring people to its nationalist sibling.
Advertisement Advertisement Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to NorthernIrelandWorld, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you. Despite that relationship, the SDLP often takes a much more hardline stance on issues such as the Israel-Gaza conflict – and on Tuesday voted against the government on the two child benefit cap. DUP East Londonderry MP Gregory Campbell said: “Given the rhetoric from the SDLP just a few years ago about HM Government needing to be an ‘honest broker’ when dealing with Northern Ireland it will come as a surprise to many people to see the two SDLP MPs not just moving across the Chamber but facilitating a Northern Ireland Government Minister seated between them on the green benches.
It’s a case of ‘do as I say not as I do’. “Given their repeated statements in 2017, they have somersaulted not just across the floor of the House but in their political stance as well. “We did not take the Government Whip nor did we sit on the Government benches, yet the SDLP criticised us.
Advertisement Advertisement “They are obviously perfectly entitled to make their own decisions, but given their previous statements the double standards are very blatant.” On being elected MP for Foyle, leader Colum Eastwood said the SDLP was going to have to be in Westminster to “hold the Labour Government’s feet to the fire” over the Legacy Act and recognition for the state of Palestine. Mr Eastwood appears to believe that is best achieved by sitting alongside the governing party.
Earlier this year, when the DUP and the previous Tory government announced the bi-lateral Safeguarding the Union deal, Colum Eastwood accused the government of having “moved away from the principle of rigorous impartiality”. National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting.
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