“Only by reviving our roots can we rebuild trust, gain the confidence of voters, and offer a credible alternative to a politics that feeds on division and disillusion.”
By Rachael Maskell MP
120 years ago, the Labour Representation Committee secured the historic return of 29 MPs at the 1906 General Election.
They stood on a simple but powerful common platform, arguing that “landlords, employers, lawyers and financiers” were already present in Parliament in force, and that working people deserved representation of their own. They called for the advancement of trade unions, the defence of the poor and unemployed, and action on slum housing. Their case was rooted in the belief that Parliament should reflect the lives and struggles of the many, not the privileges of the few.
Those 29 MPs were not drawn from a narrow political class. Their politics were formed in the depths of the coal mines, in the engineering works, iron and steel foundries, gas works and textile mills as they fought the establishment for their right to be heard. Others had worked as clerks and journalists or organised in the progressive movements of the age. They brought with them a breadth of social experience and political outlook. They did not speak with one voice on every question, but they were united in their willingness to challenge entrenched interests — whether in capital, in landlordism or in the structures that kept wages low and housing poor.
On 15 February 1906, they met in the House of Commons and resolved to adopt the name “The Labour Party”. That act marked not just a change of label, but the birth of a parliamentary movement that sought to carry into Westminster the organised power of working people in all its diversity.
In recent years, we have seen moments when that breadth of representation and debate was again visible. Between 2015 and 2020, a mass membership joined Labour from a breadth of experience again, shop workers and construction workers, health workers and academics, bringing with them a wide range of progressive views on public ownership, living standards, migration and peace. Whether one agreed with every policy or not, it was a period in which hundreds of thousands felt that the Party belonged to them and their communities and what they could bring would shape their futures.
Since then, that sense of inclusion has diminished. Commitments made during the 2020 leadership campaign have been dropped or diluted — on cost of living, on public ownership, on migration, on international peace and justice. Members who joined in good faith have felt increasingly alienated as policy positions shifted without meaningful consultation. Debate has too often been curtailed rather than encouraged, and instead of inclusion, the reach has become narrow, losing sight of purpose and values.
That is why I am so deeply concerned by the undermining of democracy and the rights of members within our Labour Party, and by the growing tendency to treat principled disagreement as a problem to be managed rather than a contribution to be heard.
Local members in places such as Gorton and Denton, denied the right to choose their parliamentary candidate. Dedicated councillors faced mass deselection despite years of service. MPs who have spoken out on welfare, poverty and living standards, disciplined for reflecting the concerns of their constituents. Women and minoritised groups pushed once again to the margins. These actions may differ in circumstance, but together they narrow participation and erode trust.
Labour was never meant to be narrow or factional, but recognise the richness of diversity of experience. Instead of discipline, there should have been curiosity; instead of a narrow outlook which serves a few, there should be breadth to reflect the diversity we seek to represent. When Labour sidelines its members and constrains debate, it breaks its connection to communities and breaks the hope of the very people we seek to represent.
If serious about governing in the spirit of 1906, we must be prepared to confront the modern equivalents of the injustices our founders opposed: exploitative private landlordism, persistent inequality, the scourge of low pay, and an extractive and exploitative economy. That demands a Parliamentary Labour Party — and ultimately a Labour Government — willing to take on entrenched interests and to advance bold solutions rooted in fairness and economic justice.
Only by embracing the diversity of backgrounds and experience which have always defined Labour will the Party regain trust and be the unstoppable force to transform every part of our country. Strengthening our internal democracy, respecting local parties, and recognising that disagreement can coexist with solidarity sharpens our purpose and broadens our outlook.
Only by reviving our roots can we rebuild trust, gain the confidence of voters, and offer a credible alternative to a politics that feeds on division and disillusion.
Labour must work together to strengthen our democracy. Together, MPs, mayors, councillors, trade unionists and activists, let us join together and Restore Labour Democracy.
- Sign the Restore Labour Democracy statement now.
- Rachael Maskell is the MP for York Central. You can follow Rachael on Twitter/X, Bluesky and Facebook.
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