On Monday, over 400 people attended an online rally to Restore Labour Democracy in the wake of revelations about the shadowy Labour Together faction involving the now dismissed Starmer Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney and his mentor the disgraced Peter Mandelson.
Yesterday, former Deputy Leader Angela Rayner MP made an “explosive speech”, in which she said Labour is “running out of time.” An impression has been left, she said, that the government “represented the establishment, not working people. At worst, we became it.” She added that “the very survival of the Labour Party is at stake.”
The speech is bound to reignite speculation about a leadership bid. The Prime Minister is widely regarded as a lame duck and is almost certain to be challenged if May’s local and regional election results are as bad as predicted.
For members, this is not a spectator sport. The Campaign for Labour Party Democracy is backing a number of initiatives to help democratise the Party and re-commit it to radical change.
These include rule changes to the Party’s constitution – here as a Word document and here as a PDF – for CLPs to consider submitting to Party Conference. These rule changes cover the following issues:
- Democratising Leadership Elections, so that Party Members and Affiliated Supporters can have a more genuine choice;
- Restoring the rights of local Labour Parties in the selection of Parliamentary Candidates.
The deadline for CLPs to submit a rule change to Annual Labour Conference is 12 noon, Friday 26th June. Do let CLPD know whether either of these rule changes is being pursued in your CLP and the progress being made, by emailing info@clpd.org.uk.
Labour Party internal elections are also taking place this year and CLPs need to nominate candidates who support restoring Party democracy. For details about these elections and who to nominate, please see here.
Labour’s National Policy Forum (NPF) Consultation is now open until 11th June. The national Party has published its NPF Annual Consultation document, which can be found here.
Individual Party Members, Branches, CLPs and affiliates are encouraged to make submissions to the consultation. There are many areas of policy where our Party is letting down those who voted for it, so significant changes of policy direction are desperately needed.
One topic of concern, amongst many, is the degree to which the government has watered down the commitments our Party made with its ‘New Deal For Working People’. Please consider submitting to the consultation the model submission (attached here as a Word document and here as a PDF) and if possible, please also consider asking your CLP or branch, to submit it to the consultation.
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Finally, here is a model motion we have received on the topic of Labour Together.
This Constituency Labour Party has serious concerns regarding the allegations surrounding Labour Together and the reported use of external public relations activity in relation to journalists who were investigating matters of public interest. These allegations, if true, as reported publicly, raise significant questions about the role of Labour Together in relation to our Party and government, as well as concerns about transparency, governance and potential conflicts of interest.
Given the constitutional importance of maintaining public confidence in both Party and government processes, it is essential that any inquiry into these matters is demonstrably independent, thorough, transparent and incorporates the duty of candour of the proposed Public Office (Accountability) Bill – the Hillsborough Law.
We note concerns that any investigation led or overseen by government departments containing individuals with past or present links to Labour Together risks undermining public trust, regardless of the eventual findings. Even the perception of partiality can cause lasting damage to confidence in our democratic institutions. We therefore formally call for:
- The establishment of a fully independent investigation, led by a figure with no current or prior connections to the organisations or individuals concerned.
- Clear published terms of reference for that investigation, incorporating the duty of candour of the proposed Public Office (Accountability) Bill – the Hillsborough Law.
- A commitment that its findings will be made public in full.
At a time when trust in politics remains fragile, it is imperative that these allegations are addressed in a manner that upholds the highest standards of integrity and accountability. We urge you to act swiftly to ensure that this matter is examined independently and transparently. Coverage in the media is causing immense damage to the reputation of our Party. This warrants urgent action in your respective roles.
This statement will be sent to the Prime Minister and General Secretary at the addresses below with a request that they respond to set out the action they propose to take:
The Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer KCB KC MP, Prime Minister 10 Downing Street, SW1A ZAA
Hollie Ridley General Secretary of the Labour Party, 20 Rushworth Street, SE1 OSS.
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Useful links: Report on Restore Labour Democracy rally here; Labour Left Podcast interview with Paul Holden, author of The Fraud here; Mandelson: his role in the Labour Party also needs investigating – here Labour Together: who benefited? – here; Labour Hub interview with Paul Holden here.
Image: https://thebluediamondgallery.com/finger01/d/democracy.html License: Creative Commons 3 – CC BY-SA 3.0 Attribution Link: Pix4free.org – link to – https://pix4free.org/ Original Author: Nick Youngson – link to – http://www.nyphotographic.com/ Original
Labour Hub 