Although it’s the Conservatives nowadays who are best known for in-fighting, this weekend we were offered a reminder of the divisions in Labour. At a meeting of the National Policy Forum (NPF), a row broke out between the Momentum contingent and the moderates.
The subject of the row was – once again – Ann Black, the veteran activist who was ousted as chair of the Disputes Panel last month (and replaced with Corbyn favourite Christine Shawcroft) after the Corbynistas won a majority on the National Executive Committee. Black was expected to defeat union representative Andi Fox to be elected as chair of the policy forum, which sets Labour policy for future general elections. However, it appears Jeremy Corbyn’s allies had other ideas. With expectation mounting that the moderates would win the vote, the election was abruptly postponed – thanks to a last-minute vote by the Corbynista-tipped NEC.
The official reason for the cancellation was ‘insufficient notice’ but many in the party – and at the event – dispute this. There were ugly scenes at the meeting as the events unfolded – with Katrina Murray, the chair of the policy forum, reportedly taken into a room and kept there until the vote was postponed. A Labour MP accused NEC chairman Andy Kerr, who insisted that the vote should not go ahead, of being a ‘bully’. MPs have since taken to social media to voice their dismay at the events:
Heading home after shambolic meeting of @UKLabour National Policy Forum. Appalling behaviour from NEC chair Andy Kerr towards @katrinamurray71. And despite delegates voting 70 to 45 to proceed with electing a chair, this was denied.#NPF18
— Jackie Baillie (@jackiebmsp) February 17, 2018
I’m ashamed to have been witness to the scenes at the NPF this morning. Disgraceful treatment of @katrinamurray71 in the Chair.
— Luciana Berger (@lucianaberger) February 17, 2018
Those interested in the rules of the Labour Party might want to read this, written by the guy who was the (fiendish and impartial) upholder of the Party rules for many, many years. https://t.co/cZoszPDaJO
— Lucy Powell MP (@LucyMPowell) February 17, 2018
It’s thought that a vote will take place at a later date but regardless of who is eventually elected, this weekend’s events are a reminder of the new world the Labour moderates must operate in. The election of three Momentum candidates – including key Corbyn ally Jon Lansman – last month to Labour’s national executive committee means that it is the Corbynistas who now call the shots. What’s more, for all the talk of Corbyn’s contingent mellowing as they set their sights on power, their determination to reclaim the party is so strong that there appears to be a willingness to bend the rules. This means that the Labour moderates aren’t even up to date with the new rules of engagement – let alone on an even playing field. That said, those involved note that on this occasion the moderates were very disorganised, only getting into the swing of organising the vote early this week.
Emily Thornberry today dismissed the reports of the bullying row as ‘one of those things’. But the number of people at the meeting who attest to the vitriol on display at the event means that this can’t be dismissed as crossed wires. Some moderates are optimistic that they can start to rebalance the make-up of the NEC at the next set of elections. If they can’t, they have a decision to make: stay in a party where their voice isn’t heard or find a new home?
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