Labour under Keir Starmer hollowed out Party democracy, stitched-up parliamentary selections in favour of their own candidates and deselected hard-working Labour councillors.
This has only alienated members and voters, weakened Labour's roots in our communities, and undermined the Party's ability to win both people's trust and elections.
To unite the Labour Party and defeat the far right, Andy Burnham has an opportunity to build support by committing to these key priorities:
Free and fair Parliamentary selections
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Any trade union backed candidate should be longlisted.
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CLPs should have control of longlisting for Parliamentary selections.
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End factional use of due diligence.
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Abolish use of Anonyvoter.
Pluralism in the PLP
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No MP suspensions for voting against the government, taking positions opposed to the Government or for indiscretions which fall short of gross misconduct.
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Reduce MP nomination requirement for Leader/Deputy Leader to 10 percent of MPs.
Democracy in Local Government selections
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Abolish Campaign Improvement Boards.
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End regional office interventions in Local Government selections.
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Local Government Committees should be given control of the entirety of the selection process.
Staff Neutrality and Due Process
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Party staff should act as a civil service focused on running free and fair democratic processes and upholding due process.
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Appoint an independent Party ombudsperson with a mandate to safeguard the rights of members.
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All expulsions should be agreed by a genuinely independent panel.
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Administrative suspension should be reserved for cases where there is a high threshold of risk, such as safeguarding concerns, serious disruption or serious reputational damage.
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Administrative suspensions should not normally exceed 3 months. The Party must notify suspended members in writing with specific reasons for any delay, including a new date for the end of suspension.
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Introduce a higher threshold for what constitutes support for a proscribed group. Liking a tweet will not usually meet this threshold.
Principle of One Member One Vote (OMOV) for Conference Arrangements Committee (CAC) and National Policy Forum (NPF)
- Restore OMOV to elect reps of CAC and NPF.
Agree? Use our lobbying tool below to write to Burnham urging him to put members' rights and democracy at the forefront.
