Brussels briefing

Another change on cards for Childers

Having left the Labour party for the second time, MEP Nessa Childers is now an independent representative for Ireland East. But her hopes of remaining in the Socialist group in the European Parliament are running into trouble. She has been asked to resign from the group as apparently there is a rule against parallel national delegations. Towards the end of July she announced she would stand again in May’s elections for the Parliament, but this time as an independent within the Socialist group, as a protest against Labour’s collusion with austerity.

This comes on top of losing her assistant and senior Labour party official in Brussels, Aidan O’Sullivan, who is going to the cabinet of the newly elected EU ombudsman, Emily O’Reilly.