Progress

Three previously unknown Labour MPs (below) have quit the shadow cabinet and two have been shuffled out.  What do they have in common?  Is it plain speaking?  Courageousness?  No - they are all members of the secretive and Blairite 'Progress' organisation within Labour.

The so called 'Progress' organisation was first set up as a company limited by guarantee in 1994 and the first director was Derek Draper, then a researcher for Peter Mandelson. It publishes no details of any membership and is controlled by the directors of the company. It has never released its register of guarantor members, nor its memorandum and articles of association, nor details of its corporate structure.

It is not easy to find out if an MP is a member of Progress.  You have to wade through their pompous voluble website and read between the lines.  We've tried our best, click these links and judge for yourself:

Stephen Doughty MP (resigned)
Jonathan Reynolds MP (resigned)
Kevan Jones MP (resigned)
Pat McFadden MP (shuffled out)
Michael Dugher MP (shuffled out)

'Progress' has strong support within the Parliamentary Labour Party; amongst Labour members it has virtually none - the 'Progress' candidate in  last years leadership got a tiny 4.5 percent of the votes.

Other prominent members of Progress you might see frequently on the media and BBC are

Simon Danczuk MP

Jess Phillips MP

Stephen Kinnock MP