Councillor Hobhouse accuses Jim Dobbin MP of hypocrisy!

Councillor Wera Hobhouse

Heywood and Middleton’s Parliamentary Candidate, Councillor Wera Hobhouse has criticised Jim Dobbin.  She has labelled him a ‘hypocrite’ after it emerged that he voted against a motion on second chance education, identical to an Early Day Motion he signed up to just weeks before. 

Mr Dobbin was one of 63 MPs who signed the Early Day Motion (EDM) expressing concern about the Government's £100m cuts to second chance education. 

This will particularly affect part-time students and mothers returning to work. Last week, after an Opposition Day Debate called by the Conservatives, 63 of those Labour MPs voted with the Government, against exactly the same motion.

Councillor Hobhouse said: “Jim has not only let down every part time student in Heywood and Middleton but illustrated alarming hypocrisy.  I agree with his decision to sign the EDM that expressed opposition at the £100m cuts in education.  He has effectively voted against opportunities that will see crucial educational opportunities being withdrawn from hundreds of people in Heywood and Middleton.  These are people who need the education more than most and it may effectively stop them rejoining the workforce. 

"I am not sure whether Jim has been pressurised into this decision by Labour Party bosses.  It is high time though that he put his constituents first instead of his career.  He has got to understand that the needs of many of his most vulnerable constituents should be put before party politics.  I am sure that many people will feel let down and feel that he should apologise and start putting his own people first!"

Jim Dobbin MP signed EDM 317:

That this House is concerned that the Government's decision to withdraw funding from the institutions for equivalent or lower qualification students will have a disproportionate impact on the part-time sector in general and on specific institutions such as Birkbeck and the Open University; and urges the Government to consider ways in which it can minimise the damage this measure will do to lifelong learning and the delivery of the Leitch agenda objectives.

On Tuesday this week he voted against the same motion when it came up for debate in the House.

Councillor Hobhouse concluded: "Jim Dobbin is a man who cannot be trusted to follow through on what he says when it comes for him to actually vote. He backed down on what he believed to save the Gordon Brown’s embarrassment.  I am pleased that my Liberal Democrat Colleagues in Parliament supported the motion."