Luke who’s talking Articles

On Saturday I got on a train at Fenchurch Street station with a dozen other Hackney Labour activists, went to Ockendon station in Essex and knocked on doors for Thurrock Labour party. Hundreds of members from London, where we have no elections, have been canvassing in key councils like Thurrock where we hope to take control.

I wasn’t going to write about the AV referendum again. For one thing, I don’t think it’s as important as the local, Welsh and Scottish elections happening on the same day.

At the start of March I used my Progress column to highlight that standing Labour candidates in as many wards as possible this May is extremely important. As John Spellar MP put it: ‘The public will only be able to register their disgust with this Tory-led coalition if they have Labour candidates to vote for. It is not only bad for Labour, but bad for democracy if we let the case go by default in some areas by not running candidates.’

Luke Akehurst brings his report on yesterday’s NEC, with news on the rise in candidates standing for Labour in this year’s elections, the unlikelihood of the party taking 1,000 council seats, and the Peter Hain review of party reform www.refoundinglabour.org