The full national executive committee met on 20th March.
I had been expecting fireworks on three issues: Ed Balls’ report on economic policy, the report on restructuring at HQ (as this issue had been reported in very controversial terms in the Guardian), and the anonymous report sent to CLPs about Progress. As it was, the first two issues were discussed in a very mature and low key way, and the third wasn’t raised at all.
The meeting began with a tribute from the chair to the work of Tony Lloyd MP, who is stepping down as PLP Chair to run for police commissioner in Manchester.
Twitter commentary from a Guardian journalist to the effect that there was a row about the selection process for Tony’s Manchester Central constituency was nonsense. We merely noted the selection process dates (all party members have been emailed with details of the selection) and confirmed that the plan is to hold any by-elections caused by MPs switching to run as mayoral or police commissioner candidates on the same day in November as are elected.
General secretary Iain McNicol reported on a series of successful conferences in Scotland, Wales and several regions; on campaigning; and on the move from 39 Victoria Street to a new HQ nearby in Westminster. The new building will have the party as its only tenant and large open plan spaces and is the right size to enable the leader’s and shadow cabinet’s staff to work alongside party staff.
Turning to address the press controversy over management changes at HQ, Iain explained that in order to avoid confusion with the NEC’s function, the body the press had described as an executive board will be called the senior management board. It merges the senior management teams of HQ and the leader’s office so that they will work in an integrated way. Iain will head it. Charles Allen, who has led the management and commercial review will help facilitate it. The NEC was represented on the interview panel for all the new executive directors. The senior management board will be accountable to the relevant NEC officers and committees.
Ed Miliband reported, highlighted three key issues:
- The budget. Our argument is that it is built on the failure of Osborne’s first two budgets and all his forecasts on growth and borrowing have been proved over-optimistic. It is also an unfair budget with the contrast between the cut of the top rate to 45p, producing eye-watering windfalls for people on over £150,000, whilst people on low and middle incomes are hit by tax credit changes and child benefit changes that make them worse off even with the increase in the tax threshold. Ed concluded it was the end of ‘we’re all in it together’. The rich are incentivised by the Tories to work harder by being made richer, while the Tories seem to think making the poor poorer will incentivise them.
- The health and social care bill had been railroaded through and the Lib Dems had totally sold out on this attack on the NHS. Ed praised Unison and other unions for their campaigning on the NHS. He pledged to repeal the market and competition aspects of the bill.
- The May elections. The shadow cabinet would be meeting in Bromley to help take Ken’s campaign to outer London. Ken’s policy of cutting fares was almost universally known about, which is unprecedented.
Harriet Harman also focused on the NHS. She said the bill would mean GPs had a vested financial interest to drive privatisation and a new oligarchy of NHS millionaires would be created. She paid tribute to Andy Burnham and Labour’s Peers for their efforts to stop the Bill.
Harriet announced that various shadow cabinet members would be regional champions for campaigning:
- Eastern – Ed Balls
- East Midlands – Vernon Coaker
- London – Tessa Jowell
- North – Maria Eagle
- North West – Ivan Lewis
- Scotland – Margaret Curran
- South East – Caroline Flint
- South West – Jan Royall
- Wales – Peter Hain
- West Midlands – Liam Byrne
- Yorkshire – Mary Creagh
One of their tasks is to get the PLP out campaigning in target councils. They are also working to maximise the number of council candidates we field.
Campaign co-ordinator Tom Watson reported on the Bradford West by-election campaign. Imran Hussain has been selected as candidate. Polling day is 29th March. If you can help the details are:
Bradford Labour party
29 Cheapside
Bradford
BD1 4HR (opposite the Midland Hotel which is next to Bradford Forster Square train station)
Opening hours: 0900 – 1900 (7 Days a week) – until 2200 on polling day
Telephone Number: 07872 417220
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.bradfordlabour.org.uk
Tom set out the key messages for the May elections:
- Labour is changing to make tough and fair choices to deliver forworking people
- The Tories are out of touch and hitting working families
- The Lib Dems have betrayed voters’ trust
The coalition’s record:
- Families are under pressure
- There is a squeeze on the cost of living
- Job insecurity and unemployment
- Fewer opportunities for young people
- Less safety because of cuts to police numbers
- Changes to NHS don’t put patients first
The choice boils down to ‘with you’ vs. ‘out of touch’ on jobs, NHS, police numbers and the struggle to balance the family budget
Tom reiterated that our target is to gain 350 council seats in England and 120 in Wales (only 2500 seats are being contested in England this year so 350 is a large number to change hands).
Peter Hain presented his outline paper on changes to the policy-making process. I have reported this in more detail when it previously came to organisation committee. The proposals will strengthen and streamline the policy making cycle and make it more transparent what has happened to CLP’s policy ideas. Rule changes on this will go to conference this year. The main area of debate was that the trade unions indicated they want 25 per cent or 30 per cent set as the threshold of support on the national policy forum for sending minority positions to conference – not least because this would mean the union delegates on the NPF could guarantee being able to submit minority positions.
Finally Ed Balls reported. He said Osborne was boxed in by the economy flat-lining, with higher borrowing than expected and austerity to continue until 2017 whilst living standards were going down. He described how the changes to tax credits meant people working 16-18 hours a week would be better off on benefits than working. The tax cut for the highest paid contrasted with the squeeze on pensions, incomes and child benefit. The debate had shifted from the past to the future and now we have to persuade the voters to give a positive answer to the voters’ question ‘do we trust Labour to take difficult decisions?’
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Luke Akehurst is a constituency representative on Labour’s NEC, a councillor in Hackney, writes regularly for Progress here and blogs here
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Photo: Louisa Thomson