Chris Saltmarsh explains why he’s running for Labour’s Conference Arrangements Committee

I am standing for election to Labour’s Conference Arrangements Committee (CAC) to defend and uphold the democracy within the party. Labour Conference is supposed to be a genuinely democratic forum for members and affiliates to determine Party policy and direct organisational governance.

Instead, we have seen Party democracy undermined at every turn throughout the past few years. Members are blocked from debating key issues and motions are ruled out of order on spurious grounds. As Labour prepares to win the next general election and form a government, we cannot afford a return to pageantry. The democratic will of members and affiliates will strengthen – certainly not weaken – Labour in power.

As a co-founder and National Coordinator of the campaign group Labour for a Green New Deal, I have experience of successful organising at Conference under the previous leadership as we campaigned for groundbreaking climate policy in 2019. More recently, our organising has meant navigating bureaucratic blockages and working across the Party to find solutions.

As such, I am committed to using the position on the CAC to advocate for a fair application of Party rules to ensure that Conference is a space of rigorous and comradely debate on every issue from climate justice to international human rights to public ownership and far beyond.

I am proud to be supported by the Centre Left Grassroots Alliance. Please also nominate and vote for Jean Crocker.

Chris Saltmarsh is a member of Sheffield Central CLP, membership number – L1180242

Image: Arena & Convention Centre, Liverpool. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1039210. Creator: Nick Mutton | Credit: Nick Mutton Copyright: © Nick Mutton and licenced for reuse under cc-by-sa/2.0