By Carol Turner

The London Labour Party launched a further attack on the rights of members recently when one local Labour Party was banned from affiliating to Labour CND and several other progressive peace and justice campaigns just hours before it was due to hold its AGM.

A message from Labour’s Head of Internal Governance told the CLP that renewing its affiliations without approval from the NEC would be in breach of Party rules. The email also warned that organisations which are nationally affiliated to the Party are eligible to affiliate to any CLP. Provided they pay the appropriate fee, the CLP cannot debate or decide against their affiliations.

The following organisations were listed as ineligible for local affiliation:

• Labour Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
• Palestine Solidarity Campaign
• Stop the War Coalition
• Republic
• London Irish
• Abortion Rights Campaign
• Jewish Voice for Labour
• Somalis for Labour
• Sikhs for Labour
• All African Women’s Group
• Health Campaigns Together
• Campaign Against Climate Change Trades Union Group
• Peace & Justice Project

A series of rule changes agreed at the 2021 Labour conference, promoted by the General Secretary, . included a catch-all rule which prohibits local Parties from affiliating or donating to organisations without NEC approval.

Chapter 7, Clause XI .5 of Labour’s 2023 Rule Book reads: “This CLP and units of this CLP shall not enter into affiliation with or give support, financially or otherwise, to any political party or organisation (or ancillary or subsidiary body thereto) without the prior permission of the NEC. Nor shall they give any such support to individuals ineligible for membership of the Party.”

Labour CND has issued a statement regretting the decision of National Executive Committee to end CLPs’ right to affiliate to Labour Party-orientated campaigning groups like Labour CND, and thanked all the local Parties and affiliates that have supported us over the years.

The centenary of the birth of Walter Wolfgang is coming up in June this year. A childhood refugee from Nazi Germany, Walter was elected to Labour’s NEC in 2006. It demonstrated the outrage felt by Party members – and many others – when he was forcibly removed from Labour Party conference in Brighton in 2005 for heckling the then Foreign Secretary Jack Straw over the Iraq war. He was subsequently detained by Sussex Police under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

The following day brought a public apology from the Conference Chair, former Defence Secretary John Reid, a long-time opponent of nuclear disarmament. It was followed later by a hand-written apology from the Sussex Police Chief at the time, whose driver was dispatched to Walter’s London home to deliver it.

In 2018 Walter received a merit award, presented by then Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. He was 95 and unable to travel to Conference to receive it. When the video of the presentation at his home was played, Conference rose to its feet in a standing ovation.

Walter devoted his life to nuclear disarmament, campaigning in the Labour Party against nuclear weapons as a founding member of Labour CND. We work within the Party for the global abolition of nuclear weapons, including Britain’s Trident system, and a peaceful foreign policy stance.

We will continue to do so. History is on our side.

Read Labour CND’s full statement here.

Carol Turner is Labour CND Chair.