By Jack Ballingham

On 4th July the British electorate decisively rejected fourteen years of hard-right Tory rule. Over those fourteen years the Tories tore the heart out of the UK’s public sphere, laying waste to welfare and public services, imposing authoritarian legislation, and cracking down on the most vulnerable in society.

The Labour victory at the general election is down, ultimately, to the hard work of every Party member. It has been said in the past that, when a Labour government enters office, millions of people in the Party and trade union movement go into government with it. It is absolutely crucial that, in the following months and years, this holds true.

The new government has a resounding mandate from the public to decisively break from fourteen years of austerity and authoritarianism. Already the heartless Rwanda policy has been halted, funding has been restored to UNRWA, ministers have entered pay talks with trade unions, and new oil drilling in the North Sea has been banned.

All these are a welcome departure from previous governments, and they show the first signs of what the government can achieve if it is willing to be bold. There is a dire need for similar action in all other areas of society, if years of Tory damage are to be repaired. Some, including the new Chancellor, have said that the government has inherited the worst economic situation since the war. If this is true, then we must emulate the urgency and boldness of that postwar government.

Following the general election, the Labour Party is now quickly going into its next round of internal elections, including those for the National Policy Forum. The NPF functions as a collaborative policy-making body for the Party, and in between general elections puts together a policy platform to be approved by Conference, forming the basis of the next manifesto.

The new NPF which is elected this year will be the first for a long time to operate under a Labour government, rather than in Opposition. The NPF is one of the few spaces in the Party where shadow ministers (now Ministers of the Crown) mix and discuss policy with lay members. The new NPF has an important role to play in ensuring that Party members are kept in touch with our new government, and vice versa.

This goes hand in hand with making sure that progressive and bold policies continue to be voiced within the Party, and directly to government ministers. There are widespread and necessary calls for the scrapping of the two-child benefit cap, among other policy measures, which cannot be ignored. These calls come from across British society, and the National Policy Forum needs representatives that keep our Party in touch with these currents of opinion.

It is clear that only Grassroots candidates for the National Policy Forum can be trusted to fulfil these important objectives. Current Grassroots members of the NPF have been active and vocal over the last two years in advocating for progressive policy, and being accountable to Party members.

As one of the current Grassroots NPF members, I worked with other reps at last year’s policy meeting in Nottingham to ensure that our Party was cognisant of the need for bold measures in our manifesto. We secured important changes to Party policy, on areas like voter ID, international development, and the private rental sector. I hope that, going forward, myself and other reps will have the chance to continue this work.

This summer, Labour members will be given their choice of representatives on the National Policy Forum. For an NPF that is accountable, progressive and keeps us all in touch with our new government, I hope that members will choose to elect Grassroots candidates.

Candidates for the NPF must have received at least three nominations from CLPs by 31st July 2024. Balloting will then take place over the summer. A full list of Grassroots candidates in each region can be found here.

Jack Ballingham is a Young Labour member in Selby CLP and member of the Party’s National Policy Forum.

Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/number10gov/53838994618. Creator: Lauren Hurley / No 10 Downing St | Credit: Lauren Hurley / No 10 Downing St Copyright: Crown copyright. Licensed under the Open Government Licence ATTRIBUTION-NONCOMMERCIAL-NODERIVS 2.0 GENERIC Deed CC BY-NC-ND 2.0