Why do Labour MPs have to vote publicly?
Would a secret ballot have improved Ed’s mandate? It’s quite rare for any vote to be cast publicly in an election, except maybe when it’s on behalf of someone else. As party members have their own vote in Labour leadership elections, that explanation doesn’t apply so for the party to make its MPs preferences public is unusual. It’s not something the other parties do, for example. What it does do is add pressure to vote in the way an MP would like to be…