NB a pdf version of this report is available here.

After recovering from the excitement of the election, NEC subcommittees met in advance of the next full NEC meeting on 26 November.  Here are some notes – as always, comments and questions welcome.

Complaints and Disciplinary Sub-Committee, 5 November 2024

During the run-up to the election the complaints team assessed incoming complaints according to their severity and urgency.  Those which posed risks to individuals’ safety or to the campaign were fast-tracked, while others would be investigated after polling day.  The team also carried out due diligence checks on individuals wishing to be associated with the campaign, separate from those applied to candidates.  They were thanked for their vital work.

Since July the number of complaints had increased significantly, though the proportion judged as valid had fallen from 13% to 9%.  This was attributed to more people complaining about MPs or policy decisions now that Labour was in government.  Antisemitism was involved in 15% of valid complaints, down from 30% in the previous period.  Sexual harassment procedures are being reviewed, though the need for expeditious progress has to be weighed against the complexity of some cases.   Members asked for future meetings to receive information on the mean time between submitting a complaint and its resolution.

Disciplinary Cases

Statistics and outcomes are at the foot of the page https://labour.org.uk/resources/complaints/, and those for March and November 2024 should be uploaded soon.  Since March, of 23 members who applied to rejoin after being expelled two-thirds were accepted, though figures were lower for 19 who left under suspension or were rejected by the general secretary or their CLP.  Forty-four were awaiting a decision.  Some members argued that people should have to wait longer than two years before reapplying, and that applicants should exhaust all avenues of appeal before being considered.  I disagreed.  Some offences, for instance signing a nomination paper for a family member or neighbour in ignorance, may not warrant a five-year penalty.  It is pointless to appeal against facts, and most appeals fail.  And if a member appeals within 12 days of expulsion, and is not told of the outcome for three years, they are not responsible for the delay.

So far this year NEC disciplinary panels had heard 122 cases.  Of these one-third were expelled, suspended or referred to the NCC (national constitutional committee) or the ICB (independent complaints board), one-third received a formal warning or a reminder of conduct, and one-third a reminder of values or no further action.  For exclusion panels 92% of allegations were upheld, with most expelled, one suspended and one immediately readmitted, and five reinstated.   Seventy-four people had their membership terminated for standing, nominating or intending to stand against a Labour candidate.

Of 121 members currently suspended, 17 had been suspended for more than 18 months.  The ambition is to reduce this to zero, but I still hear from members who get tired of paying £70 a year for nothing and feel that the party just wants them to go away.  Suspendees include some who have not undertaken required training, and members agreed that it would be better to deal with non-compliance directly rather than put them through the process a second time.  If resources permitted it would be good to roll out training on antisemitism, Afrophobia and anti-Black racism and other forms of prejudice more widely.

The committee were pleased with progress since clearing the thousands of complaints inherited in 2020, and the chair said the party was now in a good place, with our processes among the best in the business.

Organisation Committee, 5 November 2024

A report on selections for May 2025 local elections showed that many candidates are still needed, though hopefully some have been chosen but not yet recorded.  The committee also received useful information on the work of campaign improvement boards (CIBs), intended to support Labour groups which are facing difficulties, and prepare them for elections in 2025 and 2026.  They are overseen by the chair of the organisation committee and the two NEC councillors’ representatives.  Party chair Ellie Reeves said that CIBs were welcomed by some MPs, especially in galvanising local campaign activity.  General secretary Hollie Ridley added that work was also underway in taking on independent, Green and Reform candidates.  I was encouraged by Hollie’s determination to get CLPs out of special measures as soon as possible, and now the election was over, there was time to carry out the required checks.

Northern Ireland

Party members in Northern Ireland have argued consistently that they should be able to stand Labour candidates in elections, as in all other parts of the UK.  The situation is reviewed once in each parliament, and the committee considered a report from the NEC panel given this responsibility.  Their work was based on visits to Belfast and Dublin and consultation with the Northern Ireland CLP, the Irish Labour Party, the SDLP, the Labour Party Irish Society, UNISON, Community, the GMB and the Co-operative Party.  The panel recommended that the current position should continue.  Arguments included the absolute priority of protecting the Good Friday agreement, of which the UK is a co-guarantor, as well as relations with sister European socialist parties.  While accepting that the NI CLP had members from all traditions and was committed to operating on a non-sectarian and cross-community basis, the prominence of the union flag in party branding would be perceived otherwise.  There was no consensus among stakeholders, with some against, some in favour, and some proposing that only local elections should be contested.

The NI CLP has 700 members, too few to support a regional office, and an average of 39 per Westminster constituency. The panel emphasised that the CLP was free to organise into branches and adapt its own rules and standing orders, as Labour International does, and co-ordinate with the unions, especially on employment rights.  Some NEC members took a different view, but the report was accepted and thanks were recorded to Fraser Welsh for compiling it and to Peter Kyle, then shadow Northern Ireland secretary.

Socialist Societies

I asked again for a decision on the Labour Campaign for Electoral Reform, which has been patiently trying to affiliate as a socialist society for more than a year.  However a paper was being prepared for the November NEC meeting, and this will review all current affiliates to ensure that they abide by the criteria.  It was sensible to agree overall principles before considering new applications.

A further issue had been identified.  When the socialist societies seat on the NEC becomes vacant, the rules state that it will be filled at the next annual conference.  Their representative James Asser left the NEC when he was elected as an MP in July and Claire Reynolds, the only nominee, joined NEC meetings immediately.  However Claire has now been appointed as Keir Starmer’s political director and the seat is again vacant.  In addition Peter Mason represented socialist societies on the NCC (national constitutional committee) but has moved to fill a vacancy in the NEC CLP section, leaving his NCC place empty.  Members agreed that it was undesirable for socialist societies to be unrepresented on key committees for so long.  The NEC has now decided to organise quick by-elections for the NEC and NCC socialist society places, with rule changes to follow at the 2025 conference.

The General Election and After

The general secretary Hollie Ridley, was interested in members’ feedback, so I passed on more than 100 pages to her after anonymising all individuals, CLPs and identifying details.  I stressed that most members work very hard for, and care deeply about, the Labour party and the success of the Labour government.  Concerns included candidate selection where the main themes were lack of official communication, especially in non-battleground (NBG) seats, from July 2023 when the first 94 were opened for expressions of interest through to June 2024 when the final candidates were confirmed.  Some candidates had never visited their allocated constituency, and local applicants could not find out why they were rejected.

On the campaign, most understood and supported the battleground (BG) strategy, but raised

• impractical twinning arrangements due to distance and lack of public transport;
• the impact on the 2025 county elections of preventing all work in every NBG seat;
• attempts to threaten rather than to persuade
• locking CLPs out of Contact Creator. This seems to have been applied inconsistently, with some candidates free to make unlimited contacts in their own seat as long as they met their BG targets.

Ultimately every member is a volunteer, and cannot be made to do anything.  I do not believe it is better for those in NBG seats to be left unoccupied f they cannot travel, otherwise they will not offer again.  A number also thought that excessive requests for money caused members to unsubscribe from all mailings.

So going forward I would like to replicate the amazing results of the twinning strategy but take members with us through improved communication and understanding.  When I met with Hollie I also raised the need for updated and permissive guidance on hybrid meetings, the functioning of women’s organisation within the party, and getting the national policy forum up and running, and I will follow up on all of these.

Please feel free to circulate / post online, and contact me at annblack50@btinternet.com / 07956-637958.  Previous reports are at www.annblack.co.uk