Editing Clare Short (section)

====Announced retirement====
On 12 September 2006, Short announced that she would not be standing at the next general election.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Deedes |first=Henry |date=13 September 2006 |title=Short to stand down after 23 years as an MP |work=The Independent |location=UK |url=http://news.independent.co.uk/people/pandora/article1523109.ece |url-status=dead |access-date=23 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080118144636/http://news.independent.co.uk/people/pandora/article1523109.ece |archive-date=18 January 2008 |df=dmy}}</ref> In a brief statement, Short said she was "ashamed" of [[Tony Blair]]'s government and backed [[proportional representation]], which she hoped would be achieved through a [[hung parliament]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tempest |first1=Matthew |last2=Mulholland |first2=Hélène |date=14 September 2006 |title=Short faces expulsion after calling for hung parliament |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2006/sep/14/labour.constitution |access-date=12 April 2014}}</ref> The Labour Party [[Chief Whip]] referred the matter to the Labour Party National Executive Committee to consider disciplinary action.<ref name="Guardian standing">"[https://www.theguardian.com/uk_news/story/0,,1872266,00.html Short faces expulsion after calling for hung parliament]", Guardian, 12 September 2006.</ref> On Friday 20 October, Short resigned the Labour [[Whip (politics)|whip]] and announced that she would sit as an Independent Labour MP.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.clareshort.org/letters/clare-short-plp-resignation|title=Clare Short's letter of resignation from the Parliamentary Labour Party. {{!}} Clare Short|website=www.clareshort.org|language=en-GB|access-date=2018-08-11|date=21 October 2006}}</ref><ref name="Epolitix-whip">"{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070930185347/http://www.epolitix.com/EN/News/200610/c7a60196-e6c7-4812-b4cc-9034254e31b7.htm Short resigns Labour whip]}}", Epolitix.com, 20 October 2006.</ref> Short received a written reprimand from Labour's [[Chief Whip]] shortly before the news of her resignation of the party whip was announced.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/birminghampost/news/tm_method=full&objectid=17918657&siteid=50002-name_page.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120714180500/http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/birminghampost/news/tm_method=full&objectid=17918657&siteid=50002-name_page.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 July 2012 |title=Written reprimand means Short won't be thrown out |publisher=Icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk |access-date=7 October 2013 }}</ref>

After [[Gordon Brown]] succeeded [[Tony Blair]] as Prime Minister, Short said that the change offered "a new beginning", and hinted that she might re-join the parliamentary Labour Party if Brown changed the policies that had caused her to leave.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6252430.stm |title=Short hints at return to Labour |work=BBC News |date=29 June 2007 |access-date=7 October 2013}}</ref>