“We were promised a bold and transformative policy agenda, alongside party unity. Instead, Starmer has abandoned party democracy and returned to the agenda of the status quo.”
By Jess Barnard, Members’ Representative on Labour’s NEC
I am standing for re-election alongside the grassroots voice candidates, Mish Rahman, Gemma Bolton and Yasmin Darr. Constituency Labour Parties (CLPs) are now able to nominate candidates for this year’s NEC elections.
The Labour leadership have let members down. We were promised a bold and transformative policy agenda, alongside party unity. Instead, Starmer has abandoned party democracy and returned to the agenda of the status quo.
I joined Labour at a young age because I saw the damage the successive Tory governments of the 2010s inflicted on working-class communities like mine.
After fourteen years of Tory austerity, this couldn’t be more urgent. Families left choosing between heating and eating, in work poverty, bills, rents, travel and food costs have all sky rocketed and local services are struggling after more than a decade of real terms cuts. Meanwhile, from tax cuts to Tory corruption we’ve seen the richest 1% get even richer. Our government has embraced the politics of greed and turned the UK into a country of deep inequality.
2024 will be the year of the next Labour government. But we need a socialist Labour government. One which tackles inequality head on, with a bold manifesto committed to tackling 14 years of Tory government at the root. We need funding for public services including local councils and to bring greedy companies to heel by renationalising public services. We urgently need a social housing building programme to address the housing emergency to give our families a secure future. We need ambitious climate justice and education policies and for Labour to put human rights at the heart of international policy.
But we also need to do the work in our own party. Our membership deserves representatives who are prepared to hold the party leadership accountable for its actions – not simply toe the leadership line.
In recent years we have seen with increasing frequency, selection stitch ups and shutting down of democracy within our own party. The party is increasingly run by a narrow clique of people who have disregarded members, risking losing us our greatest asset. During my term so far on Labours NEC I have worked hard to hold the party leadership accountable and advocated tirelessly for the rights and policies supported by you, the members. The Labour Party is built on the passion and campaigning power of our members. Our party can only thrive if it welcomes a diverse range of voices across every community.
Internal Labour party elections are an essential time to have your say as a Labour member, to make sure you elect NEC members who will stand up for party democracy and who will challenge the leader to deliver the change the country needs to see.
Alongside the GV4 I will continue pushing for a bold Labour government and a vibrant, diverse, democratic and socialist Labour party. You can help ensure that future by nominating me and the GV4 at your next CLP meeting.
How to nominate us in your CLPs:
While voting doesn’t open until the summer, it’s important that we have as many nominations as possible to support us in the run up to ballots. Nominating procedures may vary depending on your CLP, but here is how you can nominate us.
- Contact your local CLP secretary and ask them to confirm the process for your CLP to make a nomination for Labours NEC elections and the date of your next CLP meeting.
- Contact your CLP or BLP Chair and Secretary with the following text giving 7 days’ notice before the next members’ meeting.
“Dear ………………………
At the upcoming CLP meeting I would like to nominate the following candidates for Division III of the NEC, CLP candidates section: Jess Barnard, Gemma Bolton, Yasmin Darr and Mish Rahman”
- Find another supporter of the GV4 in your CLP to ‘second’ the nomination. Members can ‘second’ your nomination from the floor on the day.
- Speak to local members and encourage them to attend the CLP meeting with you to support the GV4 slate, and share our statements with them.
- Attend your CLP meeting and propose the nomination formally in the meeting, alongside the seconder.
- Contact jessbarnardnec@gmail.com to let us know how your meeting went.
- Jess Barnard is a members’ representative on Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) and the former chair of Young Labour. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram.
