Jeremy Corbyn’s “service to the people” praised by Islington North Labour Party as they demand “democratic right to select our MP locally.”

“It should be our democratic right to select our MP locally,”

Islington North CLP GC motion.

By Matt Willgress, Labour Outlook

On Wednesday May 17, Islington North Constituency Labour Party’s General Committee passed the following motion, “This CLP would like to thank our sitting MP J. Corbyn for his commitment and service to the people – and want to express that it should be our democratic right to select our MP locally.”

The vote has been reported as being by 98% for and none against, in that “of the 61 members present, 60 backed the motion, one abstained, and none voted or spoke against it.”

This motion shows the incredible strength of feeling in the labour movement in Islington North, both in relation to support of Jeremy Corbyn’s work as their MP and in terms of the CLP’s right to decide their own candidate for the next General Election, which was denied them by the Labour Party NEC’s approval of Keir Stamer’s proposal to block Jeremy Corbyn being a Labour candidate at the next General Election.

This motion from the General Committee follows the earlier statement of the CLP’s officers on March 28 which read as follows:

“‘Local Party members should select their candidates for every election’”

“The officers of Islington North CLP strongly support this statement from Keir Starmer in February 2020’

“We believe in the democratic rights of all constituency parties to choose their prospective parliamentary candidate. Therefore we reject the NEC’s undue interference in Islington North, which undermines our goal of defeating the Conservatives and working with our communities for social justice.”

Another key wing of the labour movement in Islington, namely the Trades Union Council, then passed a motion supporting “the Islington North CLP’s rejection of the ‘NEC’s undue interference’ in the party’s democratic processes and its call for others to rally in support.” It is also noted that “Jeremy has supported ITUC and more importantly has supported Islington workers in their struggles with employers. This has been particularly noticeable during the mainly public sector strikes of the last 9 months. The Islington North MP is a regular attender of picket lines, supporting teachers, rail and mail workers, university staff and others. Jeremy gets involved in trade union campaigns and promotes policies on behalf of trade unions in parliament and outside. He is committed to a better society for all and works hard to oppose those who try to divide us.” (You can read the full Islington TUC motion here.)

Islington North’s motion has already been welcomed widely by supporters of democracy throughout the labour movement. Campaigning to let the members decide in Islington North and the several other CLPs where stitch-ups have been imposed must continue – alongside urgent and broader campaigning for the democratic rights of Labour members and trade union affiliates against the Starmer leadership’s offensive.

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• You can join over 70,000 other people in signing the Restore the whip to Jeremy Corbyn – let Islington North’s members decide their candidate! petition here.
• Watch back the recent Let the members decide – for Labour Party Democracy event here with Jess Barnard, Labour NEC (pc), Neil Findlay, former MSP, Rachel Garnham, CLPD, Nabeela Mowlana, Young Labour Chair, Martin Abrams, Momentum NCG & Jon Trickett MP.
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