The Campaign for Labour Party Democracy highlights some important Party election deadlines.
Following the disastrous 7th May election results, it is clear many former Labour voters consider our government (which they helped elect) has been making the situation worse, not better.
If there is not a significant change in direction, not only do we risk our Party losing the next general election but, due to our government’s actions, the electoral path may lead to a government dominated by far-right policies – with a dangerously racist and anti-trade union agenda. To avoid such a catastrophe, our Labour government needs to adopt and implement a dramatically different framework than the one promoted by Keir Starmer and Labour Together. The government needs to change its policies and the Party’s internal democracy needs to be restored.
Party members who support a progressive change in direction need to step up our activity now and try to ensure that local CLPs act to encourage the necessary change. The membership of the Party’s national committees needs to change, so that they are not dominated by Labour Together and its allies.
Specifically, now (before the 26th June deadline), we need to secure nominations from CLPs for candidates for elections to a number of our Party’s national committees and also the submission of rule changes to Annual Conference. There are four different national committees which CLPs should nominate candidates for. A CLP can submit one rule change to Annual Conference.
At CLP meetings discussing Annual Conference business, please also try to ensure that your CLP elects delegates to the Annual and Women’s conferences that support Party democracy, as elections and important decisions on Party policy and Party rules take place at the conferences. You might consider putting yourself forward as a delegate.
The deadline for CLPs to submit their: delegates for Annual Conference and Women’s Conference; national committee election candidate nominations; and proposed rule change to Annual Labour Conference is: 12 noon, Friday 26th June. The deadline for CLPs to submit their proposed rule change to Women’s Conference is: Wednesday 27th August.
The recommended candidates and rule changes are set out below.
A) Candidates for National Executive Committee (NEC);
B) Candidates for National Policy Forum (NPF);
C) Candidates for National Constitutional Committee (NCC);
D) Candidates for National Women’s Committee (NWC); and
E) Recommended Rule changes for Annual Conference
A) Candidates for National Executive Committee (NEC)
There are nine CLP Section seats on our Party’s NEC, all up for election this year. There are two stages to these elections: 1st stage – Nominations from CLPs; and 2nd stage – Party Members’ vote, this summer.
Candidates require nominations from CLPs. Please find out when your CLP will be meeting to make the decision on who it will nominate. Plus, spread the word about who are the best candidates to nominate.
NEC candidates to nominate
CLPD is supporting for nomination the three Centre-Left Grassroots Alliance (CLGA) backed candidates and the three Mainstream backed candidates. All six candidates support the Reset the Labour Party statement that can be found here.
CLPs are encouraged to nominate all six of the candidates below.
CLGA-backed
Gemma Bolton
Yasmine Dar
Minesh Parekh
Mainstream-backed
Cat Arnold
Jovan Owusu-Nepaul
Kerry Postlewhite
The CLGA-supported candidate details are here: MS Word file here PDF file here.
The Mainstream supported candidate details are here: MS Word file here PDF file here.
B) National Policy Forum (NPF)
Candidates for your nation/region are detailed in the attached documents
MS Word file here PDF file here
C) National Constitutional Committee (NCC)
Candidates:
Rachel Garnham
Dave Levy
Caoimhe Ní Dhónaill
Harry Stratton
MS Word file here PDF file here
D) National Women’s Committee (NWC)
Candidates:
Ann Henderson
Emine Ibrahim
Jean Crocker
Caoimhe Ní Dhónaill
Sandra Wyman
MS Word file here PDF file here
E) Recommended Rule changes for Annual Conference
Linked here as a Word document and here as a PDF are some model rule changes (Constitutional Amendments). CLPs are encouraged to consider submitting one of them 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.
When the voting for national committees takes place
The voting for the NEC election will be this summer. It is conducted by an OMOV (One Member One Vote) ballot, counted using an STV (Single Transferable Vote) method.
The NCC and NPF are elected at Labour’s Annual Conference (27th to 30th September, Liverpool) and the NWC at Labour Women’s Conference (26th September, Liverpool).
Labour Hub 