“To successfully turn this situation around requires a radical reset of the policy agenda, backed up by a rapid restoration of party democracy.”
By Rachel Garnham
An unprecedented attack on members’ rights
It took less than two years for Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in May 2026, to crush Labour’s vote down to its worst results in over 40 years. His policies drove away half the party’s previous support. Continuing austerity, toughening racist immigration policy, and supporting US and Israeli military campaigns, as expected, are unpopular.
Starmer’s policy agenda in government was radically different from the framework he promoted to be elected party Leader. To secure such a right-wing agenda for government required a systematic assault on the party’s internal democracy, including the rights of all grassroots members and affiliates. Key elements of this offensive (but by no means all) are outlined below.
A ‘sanitised’ National Conference
Annual Conference’s ability to advance policies was curbed drastically. The number of motion subjects Conference is allowed to discuss was reduced from 20 to 12. Conference motions were replaced by so-called “contemporary motions”. Party members have been disenfranchised from directly electing their representatives on the Conference Arrangements Committee (CAC), as was previously carried out under OMOV (One Member One Vote). And rule change proposals submitted by CLPs and affiliates are now delayed for a year before being discussed.
Purges of members
Leading party members, mostly on the left, including disproportionate numbers of left Jewish members, were subjected to factionally-motivated disciplinary actions – many based on smears and misrepresentations, including false allegations levelled at supporters of Palestinian human rights. Jeremy Corbyn was the most prominent target, and despite the factionally-initiated disciplinary process ending his suspension, the whip was withheld, and he was blocked from seeking re-selection.
To facilitate a purge of members on the left and centre who oppose Starmer’s agenda, new disciplinary rules were introduced, new offences were created with which to charge members, and ‘Prohibited Acts’ and ‘Proscribed Acts’ were added to the Rule Book.
New unelected bodies were established to sideline the existing independent elected body (National Constitutional Committee). Two so-called ‘Independent Boards’ were set up, whose members are appointed by the NEC. So now, for many cases, there is no part of the disciplinary process that is independent of the NEC: the NEC is in charge of the investigators, prosecutors, judges, and jury, contrary to the most basic principles of natural justice.
Members under investigation are threatened with further disciplinary action if they reveal the injustices being committed against them. And the Rule Book now restricts members’ rights to seek legal remedies.
Fixed internal elections and selections
Rules and procedures (published and unpublished) for internal elections and for selections/re-selections have been changed to significantly reduce democratic input. In internal elections, selections, and re-selections, part of new unpublished procedures is the increased role of the NEC or regional panels, which consistently exclude the left and centre in assisting (and even imposing) candidates favoured by the leadership. Serious concerns have also been raised that the digital software introduced by the party enables factional interference in the voting on these and other issues. The rights of local members to have a choice over their next candidate for parliament or other public bodies have also been restricted in other ways, such as rules on trigger ballots adjusted to further advantage sitting candidates.
Members and affiliates are now also massively restricted in their choices for Leader and Deputy Leader elections (when there is a vacancy). The nomination threshold was raised from 10% to 20% of Labour MPs, many of whom were selected through the factional interference described above. Meanwhile, ‘Registered Supporters’ have now been excluded from the franchise in such elections.
Undermining local party democracy
When Starmer became party Leader, he had to confront the problem (from his point of view) that an overwhelming majority of party members were against austerity, racism, and war, and that such members had democratic political control over the majority of CLPs.
Measures were deployed to shift that control to supporters of the leadership and to restrict the democratic rights of local party members. Factionally-motivated disciplinary actions played a role in removing significant numbers of progressive local officers from their elected positions, while a range of undemocratic practices were applied, such as preventing meetings or blocking access to Organise. At times, the General Secretary decided to further stifle local democratic discussion and issued edicts banning local parties from discussing issues members considered important, such as the unjust treatment of Corbyn and Israel’s war crimes.
Denying equality
Labour’s equalities structures, specified in the Rule Book, have not been allowed to function, and CLP equality positions were abolished as part of the officer team. This reflects the leadership’s socially conservative public agenda, which has lost Labour support, particularly amongst Black and Asian communities.
The National Women’s Organisation has not had the support it needs to function effectively. Women’s Conference has been reduced to a fringe event at Annual Conference, with ever decreasing time for policy-making. And the National Women’s Committee and Conference Arrangements Committee have been entirely sidelined.
Serious concerns of a ‘hierarchy of racism’ exposed by Forde have not been addressed, and committees and conferences have been denied for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic members, as well as for Disabled members. Several CLPs have suffered years of suspension, denying members’ democratic rights and representation, virtually all in areas with high Muslim populations.
Restore democracy and reset the party
Starmer’s offensive against party democracy reduced the challenges to his reactionary policies and facilitated the establishment of a government that deepened people’s misery both at home and abroad, all with disastrous results. To successfully turn this situation around requires a radical reset of the policy agenda, backed up by a rapid restoration of party democracy to enable members and affiliates a genuine participation in policy-making. Anything less will not succeed.
- Rachel Garnham is Co-Chair of the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy (CLPD). You can follow her on Twitter/X, and CLPD on Facebook and Twitter/X.
- This article is from CLPD’s annual briefing, which you can read here.
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