“Members have been clear that they expect to see change and will not accept Starmerism 2.0.”
A report from Labour’s Emergency National Executive Committee on 25 June 2026 from left CLP reps Jess Barnard, Gemma Bolton and Yasmine Dar.
The NEC met in an extraordinary meeting yesterday to agree on the timetable for the Labour leadership election.
The timeline put forward and agreed by the NEC will likely mean the contest is concluded by 16th July, with no opportunity for debate or discussion on the direction of the party. Labour MPs will nominate from Thursday 9th July to Wednesday 15th July, and affiliated organisations will be able to nominate within a 24-hour window from 15th July.
This essentially entirely excludes members and CLPs from the leadership process. They will not be able to make a nomination and, as it looks increasingly likely that Andy Burnham will be the only candidate on the ballot, they will not get a vote.
It is clear that members from across the Labour Party want to see a Labour government that will genuinely address the cost of living crisis, support public services and make sure Labour is once again focused on delivering transformative change, but this does not mean that members should have no say in the process of who should lead the party.
Left CLP reps called for the party to change the proposals so CLPs were included and warned that we cannot continue down this route, where members are routinely sidelined.
CLP rep Jess Barnard said, ‘It is down to the hard work of members on the ground that Labour were able to win the by-election in Makerfield. It is a kick in the teeth to members that they have been completely sidelined in this process. If Andy is serious about change, we need to see an end to the norm of shutting members out of party democracy going forward.’
CLP rep Gemma Bolton proposed an extension to the timetable of two weeks, which would provide an opportunity for CLPs to meet, have discussions about the way forward and nominate, but this proposal was rejected.
It was highlighted by left NEC reps that the decision to allow a small window for affiliate nominations, but not for CLPs, would be divisive and unfair for members. Attempts were made by some to portray this as ‘anti-union’, despite no one suggesting unions should not be able to nominate. Some NEC members suggested that Labour members are already getting a say, via their union being able to nominate. This, of course, does not account for anyone whose union is not affiliated to the Labour Party, such as teachers in the NEU, railway workers in the RMT and civil servants in the PCS. It also seems unlikely that unions will be balloting their members to contribute to their nominations.
CLP reps reiterated the need for equality for both our union affiliates and our CLPs, and the need, if Labour is to rebuild support, to listen to members, trade unions and socialist societies. We wholeheartedly rejected any attempts to argue for or set a precedent to row back the rights of members, which includes arguing that members already have a say via unions, therefore don’t need their own democratic processes. Jess highlighted that these kinds of arguments could see members lose OMOV ballots, policy votes at conference, representatives within party structures, votes in selections of candidates and more.
The Labour Party is proudly made up of both affiliates and members, and any attacks against the rights of either section of the party should be opposed.
Some reassurances were offered by the party, but ultimately, the NEC voted to move ahead with the original timetable despite our opposition.
It is clear that moving forward, we have an uphill struggle to put member democracy back on the agenda and prevent the steady decline of members’ rights in the party. Members have been clear that they expect to see change and will not accept Starmerism 2.0. We look forward to working with the new leadership, while also holding them to account, to put member democracy at the top of the agenda.
- Jess Barnard, Gemma Bolton, Yasmine Dar are all CLP representatives on Labour’s NEC. They were reelected in 2024 with the support of the Centre Left Grassroots Alliance.
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The spectacle we have all witnessed reflects terribly on your party. This is a coup, a hostile takeover, a dictatorship in the making. These choice of form over substance, superficial charm over character, ego over abnegation will cost you dearly. These aren’t values the Labour Party has ever upheld. Until now. Members are incensed that they are not getting a say and they are being imposed a PM who is seen as an imposter. A recent survey showed that 48% of members wanted Starmer to stay, and yet you believe and gave in to the bots and the hostile media. The treachery, sleaze and intrigue that the party has demonstrated in recent weeks is as far remote from democracy as it gets, and has lost you recent voters such as myself who had chosen you precisely because Keir Starmer offered and delivered a vision of seriousness and stability, after years of chaos, and who were not interested in a popularity contest or who had the best cartoon character. You are right, it will be an uphill struggle to recover from this quite historic paux fas. I think, deep down, and maybe not so deep down, you know it.