National Parliamentary Panel, nominations, shortlisting, timetable, hustings, quotas, all-women shortlists – the procedural guidelines surrounding the selection of parliamentary candidates
stretch to ten pages alone.
The selection of candidates for the forthcoming parliamentary elections is, quite rightly, a serious and potentially complex business. Those whom we select may well become members of parliament and will certainly be important spokespersons for the party in the run-up to and during a general election.
The Labour party, and more importantly the electorate, expect and deserve the very best candidates. A good candidate is an asset to the party, can invigorate a campaign and
is a champion for their constituency. As the local public face of the party, they can have
a huge influence over how local people perceive us and can have a very real effect on who someone votes for, and even whether or not they vote at all.
So if you think you’ve got what it takes, how should you go about it? The first thing to think about is whether you are really sure that you know what you are letting yourself in for. If selected, you will become the focal point of all campaigning activity within the constituency. The campaign will run right up to, and through, the general election and you will need to be pretty much full time for the three to four weeks of the election itself. If you are still sure, then you should apply to be a candidate.
How to apply to be a candidate
The party operates a system whereby aspiring candidates can apply to join the National Parliamentary Panel. Those on the NPP will have been assessed and approved by the NEC (or an affiliated trade union)
as being suitable to be parliamentary candidates. It is very similar to the panel
of candidates used in local government selections.
The NEC has decided that you do
not have to be on the NPP to be selected
as a candidate, but there is little doubt that
it is a considerable advantage for any aspiring candidate to be on the recommended panel. The panel will be sent to CLPs for consideration at their shortlisting and selection meetings.
How do I get onto the NPP?
New applicants to the NPP can either approach their trade union or they can self-nominate. If you want to self-nominate, you will need an application form, which you can obtain by email. With the form you will be sent an information pack. This includes
a description of the selection process, a
job description and person specification.
Training sessions for new applicants will be offered in May and June, with sessions taking place right across the country. Special training events will also run for aspiring women and ethnic minority candidates.
This will be followed by an interview with an NEC assessment team. You have to indicate on the application form within which region you would prefer to be a candidate. This is where you will receive your training, and then be interviewed by the appropriate NEC assessment team.
Those who are selected by a CLP and who are not on the NPP will face an NEC assessment interview, before being endorsed as the Labour party candidate. If you were on the NPP for 2001 or the European Parliamentary Panel for 2004, you will automatically be put on the NPP for the forthcoming election.
What about all-women shortlists?
The party is committed to making real progress at the next general election towards our aim of equal gender representation.
For that reason, the NEC has agreed that at least 50 percent of all seats made vacant by
a retiring sitting MP will select from an all-women shortlist. At the NEC in January, ten AWSs were approved, with more to follow later in the year. It is important to note, though, that not every seat with a retiring Labour MP will have an AWS – aspiring male candidates should still apply.
In addition, the NEC is committed
to ensuring that more ethnic minority candidates are selected. An AWS selection does not imply an all-white women selection, and an open selection does not imply an all-white selection. Ethnic minority candidates will have access to a programme of training akin to that provided for women.
When will selections start?
The selections in the most winnable
seats will begin after conference this year. Selections for less winnable seats will take place after that. So if you think you’ve
got what it takes…
• For an application form, email your
name and address to [email protected]