On the evening of Monday 29 November NEC members joined the parliamentary Labour party for their weekly meeting, a first for most of us. Alan Johnson, after a widely praised Commons performance, drew attention to his New Statesman article and his speech to the RSA where he tackled the Tories head-on over claims that the […]

The Forum gathered in Gillingham for its first meeting in nearly two years, and I went armed with hundreds of members’ comments on the general political landscape and on current issues. The overwhelming demand was for effective campaigning messages now and through to next May’s elections. A full review of policy will take time, but rebuttal […]

National Executive Committee, 21 September 2010 This was Harriet Harman’s last meeting as acting leader. She paid tribute to the new MPs and the veterans for taking the fight to the coalition, and thanked the NEC, general secretary Ray Collins and the party staff, and her office team. Council by-elections since May showed Labour taking […]

Acting leader Harriet Harman paid tribute to Dianne Hayter, who has left the NEC for the House of Lords, for her work in many roles and her independent-mindedness combined with fierce loyalty. As usual the NEC stood in silence in memory of comrades who had died since the last meeting, including former MP Rudi Vis […]

The NEC congratulated Jack Dromey, MP for Birmingham Erdington, wished Stephen Timms a speedy recovery, paid tribute to Anne Snelgrove who sadly lost her Swindon South seat, and welcomed her successor Angela Smith. The meeting also expressed appreciation to Gordon Brown, and I read out some messages from members since he resigned: “Gordon has achieved […]

The meeting opened with tributes to Michael Foot, recalling not only his time as leader but his earlier achievements as employment secretary, when he introduced life-saving health and safety laws, and in keeping the 1974 government on the road with a majority of one. There will be a memorial service after the election. The NEC […]

Gordon Brown was still in Northern Ireland, locked in crisis talks, and the NEC hoped that he could safeguard one of Labour’s finest achievements. However we were joined by three key members of the election team. Deputy leader Harriet Harman warned that the recovery was still fragile. We must value our footsoldiers, remind voters why […]