A report of Tuesday’s National Executive Committee by left CLP reps Jess Barnard, Gemma Bolton and Yasmine Dar.
Labour’s National Executive Committee on 16th September was opened by Ellie Reeves, as Chair who thanked NEC members for supporting her as Party Chair and Campaigns Coordinator. She was sorry that she was no longer Chair but will remain NEC Chair till the AGM at Conference. She paid tribute to Angela Rayner’s work as Deputy Leader, as did other NEC members.
Obituaries were noted with tributes paid to Cllr Neil Wilson, Nicky Gavron, Lord Tom Sawyer and Pat Ireland.
Under the General Secretary’s report, Hollie Ridley thanked everyone for their support and noted what a busy time it was for all the staff with Conference, the Deputy Leader election and the by-election in Caerphilly. She welcomed the appointment of Anna Turley as Party Chair and thanked Ellie for her contribution and for her new role as the National Policy Forum Chair, which will continue. Hollie also paid tribute to Angela Rayner, and welcomed the contribution of women in senior roles in government including Yvette Cooper, Shabana Mahmood and Rachel Reeves, noting that a women in leadership program has been launched for staff.
Questions were also asked about abuse that campaigners face when out campaigning and it was noted that there is guidance in regards to being safe on the doorstep.
The NEC received a report from the Treasurer, noting various challenges, including delays to the accounts, and a tough few months, which would be further discussed at the Away Day in November. Issues with lower income from reduced donations and lower membership were noted along with the need for tighter expenditure controls. There were discussions about the need for constituencies to become more self-sufficient, reducing reliance on the national Party and focusing on their own campaigns and training.
After lunch, the NEC discussed arrangements for Annual Conference. The Conference will start on Sunday at 11am and will conclude at 5pm Wednesday. The deadline for submitting emergency motions is 26th September. Conference arrangements will remain consistent with last year. The fringe programme has been finalised, and Conference services will be located at Monarch Quay near the Pullman Hotel. An accessible mini-guide has been distributed to attendees who identified disabilities. Pre-Conference materials will be sent out soon, and there will be BSL signers and a hearing loop available. There will be 32 accessibility stewards and a safeguarding unit, with details included in the conference materials. Crèche facilities have also been arranged, with spaces booked in advance. The conference will host 798 CLP delegates and 241 registered affiliates. Additionally, there will be 900 fringe events and 150 exhibition stands. Some events will be organised on the Saturday but there was no mention of the cancelled Women’s Conference, which seems to have been entirely swept under the carpet.
Nine names were put forward as Assistant Chairs for Conference, and a vote was held. Gemma noted that chairs should represent the diversity of the NEC, and it was also noted that despite several years more NEC experience than most reps, the Disabled Members’ Rep had never been appointed as Assistant Chair and was always told ‘next year’. Left candidates received around 10 votes compared to around 20 votes each for those elected.
A rule change that had been brought to the previous NEC meeting to reduce members’ rights by changing the election for CLP reps on the National Policy Forum from One Member One Vote to being elected at Conference was agreed for submission to Conference. If passed at Conference it would be a reversal of a gain for Party democracy over a decade ago, disenfranchising thousands of members and making the election deeply inequitable, given how inaccessible Conference is for most members – particularly those with caring responsibilities, disabled members and those in CLPs who can’t afford to fund delegates. We will be calling on delegates from CLPs, trade unions and socialist societies to reject this rule change at Conference. We were pleased, however, that the rule change to reduce trade union influence on the Conference Arrangements Committee was not brought back.
Leader’s Report
Keir Starmer addressed the meeting, paying tribute to Angela Rayner’s work as Deputy Prime Minister and to Ellie Reeves, as the outgoing Party Chair. She will continue as the NPF chair and as part of the government as Solicitor General. Starmer said he was clear about being let down badly by Peter Mandelson and now wants to focus on what matters and unite.
Starmer discussed the far right demonstration organised by convicted criminal Tommy Robinson, and noted the need to challenge negativity, saying he was looking at a patriotic renewal. He noted the progress with the Hillsborough Law, with the Bill launched that day, and paid tribute to Margaret Aspinall and all the families whose loved ones had lost their lives. He also noted positive achievements with NHS appointments, the Employment Rights Bill and school meals.
On Gaza, Starmer said the situation was intolerable, with the killings of children and a human-made famine, noting the Doha attack will impact on a possible ceasefire. He continued to advocate a two-state solution, having spoken to counterparts in Canada, Australia and other places. However, when Yasmine Dar asked what further action the government were prepared to take to address Israel’s breaching of international law, the question was ignored.
Yasmine also asked why the Government allowed far-right, racist figures like Valentina Gomez and Morten Messerschmidt, leader of Denmark’s Danish People’s Party, entry into the UK, knowing the real risk they pose of inciting hatred, division, and violence. Starmer responded that he would look into the question about these individuals coming here and speaking and inciting hate.
Gemma Bolton asked about what was being done to address the appalling treatment of Diane Abbott and when the whip would be restored. The poor behaviour towards Diane was acknowledged but the issue of the whip was brushed aside.
Finally, Anna Turley addressed the meeting as the new Chair, and spoke about her career and experience to date.
Emergency NEC Meeting on Deputy Leadership Contest on 8th September
Left CLP reps also attended the emergency NEC meeting to agree the massively curtailed timetable for the Deputy Leadership election. We were against giving MPs, CLPs and affiliates such a short timescale to nominate but were given no real opportunity to speak out or vote against.
We supported the campaign of Bell Ribeiro-Addy as she called for real Government action to address the genocide in Gaza, put forward an anti-austerity economic policy, challenged racism and put forward an agenda to restore members’ democratic rights and support the role of trade unions in the Party. We were disappointed that there was such a short time to have such an important debate about the future direction of the Party and such a limited range of candidates, neither of whom are currently addressing the issues members care about. We will continue to support efforts to democratise the leadership elections and oppose rule changes that will minimise the role of members and trade unions still further.
Since the last NEC, we have also attended meetings of the Equalities Committee and the National Women’s Committee, neither of which had any serious discussion about how to restore democratic structures that can engage women members or promote the democratic involvement of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic or Disabled members.