Tottenham MP David Lammy’s record under the spotlight

The attitude of David Lammy (MP for Tottenham, one of the two constituencies in Haringey) towards evidence of problems with Haringey’s children’s services has been coming under increasing scrutiny and it doesn’t look good.

David Lammy was warned by a whistleblower of severe problems in Haringey six months before Baby P’s death. Yet as Paul Waugh pointed out in the Evening Standard, David Lammy was happy to defend Sharon Shoesmith and Haringey Council even after this warning and after Baby P’s death (a defence that was prominent on both his website and in the links on his Facebook profile – both still there at the time of writing).

Yesterday Iain Dale also looked at David Lammy’s record, this time comparing it unfavourably with Lynne Featherstone’s:

In a crisis some people come into their own. They ask the right questions, find the right words, keep calm and lead from the front. Others keep their counsel for worry of getting it wrong. They appear like a rabbit caught in the headlights and wait for others to lead while they play catch up.

In the Baby P case, LibDem MP Lynne Featherstone falls into the first category whole local Labour MP David Lammy belongs in the latter…

Five years ago I tipped Lammy to be Britain’s first black Prime Minister. Just goes to show. Never trust my tips!