News

Labour Leadership – opportunism condemned
London, 15 September – Save the Labour Party (STLP) today called for the National Executive Committee to reject belated calls from a small number of Labour MPs for the general secretary to issue leadership nomination papers for a Leadership contest ahead of Annual Conference next weekend.

STLP chair Peter Kenyon, who joins the Party’s National Executive Committee next week said, “The call led by Siobhain McDonagh, MP and sister of former general secretary Margaret McDonagh is political opportunism and not grounded in concern to rebuild internal party democracy.”
Last month Kenyon wrote to Ray Collins calling for the issue of nomination papers in time for Party meetings in September. “That time has passed for 2008 Annual Conference”, he added. Following an exchange of correspondence with general secretary-elect Ray Collins, STLP has proposed that an independent constitutional expert from within the Labour Party should be appointed to settle a dispute over how rules about the Leadership should be administered.

STLP is seeking NEC support for a review of the Rule Book after Conference with a view to establishing Leadership accountability to Party members. This it sees as a vital part of the Party in government's efforts to rebuild electorate support in the face of global economic and financial turmoil.

A copy of the correspondence to date is on the Save the Labour Party website. A response from the general secretary is awaited.