Labour activists and unions will be blocked from using Labour conference to challenge Keir Starmer on policy already settled in other forums.
A new rule drawn up by the leadership, voted through by the party’s ruling National Executive Committee today, will restrict motions debated at Labour’s conference in Liverpool next month to those considered “contemporary”. The move, due to be introduced next year, could mean that conference organisers can rule motions trying to force a discussion on issues previously agreed by the National Policy Forum (NPF) document out of order.
Labour sources say the “contemporary” rule is intended to reduce battles on the conference floor over policy that has already been decided. But Momentum, a left-wing group within the party, has called the proposal “yet another attack on the rights of Labour members from a Starmer leadership which is patently hostile to party democracy”. It added: “From parliamentary selections to policymaking, the anti-democratic clique at the top of the party views members not as the lifeblood of the party, but as a problem to be managed. It’s clear they want to take Labour back to the bad old days of a small elite casting down decisions from on high.”
Meanwhile, Open Labour co-chair Amen Tesfay said: “A party that can’t listen to its own members at conference seems far too fragile and uncertain for a party which is leading in the polls. Trying to turn conference into a happy clappy performing seal show isn’t the direction of a modern, vibrant, democratic party.”
The NEC also voted through a motion on tightening rules around expelling members who campaign for independents. At present, Jeremy Corbyn is being touted as a potential London mayoral candidate and Jamie Driscoll, the Mayor of the North of Tyne, who resigned from Labour earlier this year, is preparing to run for the new North East mayor role. The party’s rule book would ban “providing financial support or assistance to, or otherwise supporting (as may be defined by the NEC), an individual that stands in opposition to, or declares an intention to stand in opposition to, a Labour Party candidate in a public election”.
Another plan from the leadership involves cutting the number of Constituency Labour Party officers from 14 to six, which some say will reduce official roles for ethnic minority and LGBT members. Sources defended the move, however, saying some CLPs do not have enough members willing to fill each of the 14 roles.
>Another plan from the leadership involves cutting the number of Constituency Labour Party officers from 14 to six, which some say will reduce official roles for ethnic minority and LGBT members
It’s stuff like this that switch Joe Average off and a problem Labour seems to have.
Like it or not most people don’t care about the spinning circles of minority problems, they want to know how they can have their lives improved and keep a roof over their head.
They’re working hard to avoid getting into power at all costs. However, maybe this will improve their chances. Who knows.
They’ll get their utterly undeserved turn eventually, don’t worry. You’ll be disappointed I’m afraid. It’s looking like there will be no appreciable difference between them and the current government.
I genuinely don’t understand why Labour are so afraid to be the slightest bit controversial. The tories are so unpopular that at this point Starmer could probably punch Mrs Duffy in the face then eat her dog, and still win the next election.
“Labour to block conference debate about whether Labour should be in power.”
For me this is a huge red flag. If they are scared to have conversations about things they don’t like so much they ban it, what would that mean for the country once in power?
This is the thing, say what you like about the Lib Dems, but they will debate everything, including divisive issues. The members have the control.
This just proves that Labour, like the Tories aren’t really very democratic. What we knew anyway really.
I support it, reluctantly. The Labour party has to focus on winning the next election otherwise we will have another 5 years of tories and the UK will collapse.
There’s a few too many people in the Labour party that are in politics but without political sense. I support rejoining the EU, free Palestine, and all that jazz, but the penultimate conference before an election is not the occasion for it. Save it for October 2025.
Ethnic minority and LGBT groups are already vastly overrepresented within the Labour Party and unions in general so I don’t see this as unwise because allowing certain ‘emotive’ issues to be the headline does them no favours in attracting the type of voter they need.
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Labour activists and unions will be blocked from using Labour conference to challenge Keir Starmer on policy already settled in other forums.
A new rule drawn up by the leadership, voted through by the party’s ruling National Executive Committee today, will restrict motions debated at Labour’s conference in Liverpool next month to those considered “contemporary”. The move, due to be introduced next year, could mean that conference organisers can rule motions trying to force a discussion on issues previously agreed by the National Policy Forum (NPF) document out of order.
Labour sources say the “contemporary” rule is intended to reduce battles on the conference floor over policy that has already been decided. But Momentum, a left-wing group within the party, has called the proposal “yet another attack on the rights of Labour members from a Starmer leadership which is patently hostile to party democracy”. It added: “From parliamentary selections to policymaking, the anti-democratic clique at the top of the party views members not as the lifeblood of the party, but as a problem to be managed. It’s clear they want to take Labour back to the bad old days of a small elite casting down decisions from on high.”
Meanwhile, Open Labour co-chair Amen Tesfay said: “A party that can’t listen to its own members at conference seems far too fragile and uncertain for a party which is leading in the polls. Trying to turn conference into a happy clappy performing seal show isn’t the direction of a modern, vibrant, democratic party.”
The NEC also voted through a motion on tightening rules around expelling members who campaign for independents. At present, Jeremy Corbyn is being touted as a potential London mayoral candidate and Jamie Driscoll, the Mayor of the North of Tyne, who resigned from Labour earlier this year, is preparing to run for the new North East mayor role. The party’s rule book would ban “providing financial support or assistance to, or otherwise supporting (as may be defined by the NEC), an individual that stands in opposition to, or declares an intention to stand in opposition to, a Labour Party candidate in a public election”.
Another plan from the leadership involves cutting the number of Constituency Labour Party officers from 14 to six, which some say will reduce official roles for ethnic minority and LGBT members. Sources defended the move, however, saying some CLPs do not have enough members willing to fill each of the 14 roles.
>Another plan from the leadership involves cutting the number of Constituency Labour Party officers from 14 to six, which some say will reduce official roles for ethnic minority and LGBT members
It’s stuff like this that switch Joe Average off and a problem Labour seems to have.
Like it or not most people don’t care about the spinning circles of minority problems, they want to know how they can have their lives improved and keep a roof over their head.
They’re working hard to avoid getting into power at all costs. However, maybe this will improve their chances. Who knows.
They’ll get their utterly undeserved turn eventually, don’t worry. You’ll be disappointed I’m afraid. It’s looking like there will be no appreciable difference between them and the current government.
I genuinely don’t understand why Labour are so afraid to be the slightest bit controversial. The tories are so unpopular that at this point Starmer could probably punch Mrs Duffy in the face then eat her dog, and still win the next election.
“Labour to block conference debate about whether Labour should be in power.”
For me this is a huge red flag. If they are scared to have conversations about things they don’t like so much they ban it, what would that mean for the country once in power?
This is the thing, say what you like about the Lib Dems, but they will debate everything, including divisive issues. The members have the control.
This just proves that Labour, like the Tories aren’t really very democratic. What we knew anyway really.
I support it, reluctantly. The Labour party has to focus on winning the next election otherwise we will have another 5 years of tories and the UK will collapse.
There’s a few too many people in the Labour party that are in politics but without political sense. I support rejoining the EU, free Palestine, and all that jazz, but the penultimate conference before an election is not the occasion for it. Save it for October 2025.
Ethnic minority and LGBT groups are already vastly overrepresented within the Labour Party and unions in general so I don’t see this as unwise because allowing certain ‘emotive’ issues to be the headline does them no favours in attracting the type of voter they need.