Momentum hints at backing for mandatory reselection of Labour MPs
3 min read
Pro-Jeremy Corbyn campaign group Momentum has inched closer to backing an overhaul of Labour's rules that would make it easier for party members to deselect sitting MPs.
The grassroots organisation - which was set up to defend Mr Corbyn's leadership of Labour - called for a change the Labour candidate selection process ahead of the party's annual conference in Liverpool later this month.
In a statement, the group warned that "a new generation of MP" was being put off by the party's existing rules, which require a sitting MP to gain the backing of just 50% of local members before standing again.
"Labour’s selection procedure should be democratic, give a fair chance to all candidates and encourage positive campaigning," a Momentum spokesperson said.
"This means ending the divisive practise of forcing activists to campaign against sitting MPs and replacing it with a process that is open from the start."
They added: "We are also a party on the verge of government, and when Corbyn’s Labour goes into government, we all go into government.
"This means Labour MPs need to stay close to their communities, in tune with their needs and understand that the deep, collective knowledge of our half a million members - who live and work in every kind of community across Britain - is an invaluable resource which must be utilised."
Moves to change Labour's candidate selection rules have been seen by some of the party's centrists as a way to replace them with those loyal to Jeremy Corbyn.
Richard Angell of the centre-left Progress group accused Momentum of "doing the Tories' job for them".
He added: "Labour’s trigger ballot procress is more than sufficient. Mandatory reselection says that Labour thinks it knows better than the voters, makes it hard for MPs in marginal seats to build a good reputation with local voters and is a clear statement that Labour would rather be pure than inclusive."
Writing for PoliticsHome last week, Bermondsey and Old Southwark MP Neil Coyle meanwhile warned: "I find it disheartening that, after eight long years of rising homelessness and rocketing foodbank use, falling police numbers, and the hostile environment Home Office policies, some colleagues spend more time on issues irrelevant to the people worst affected and most in need of a Labour alternative."
But Derby North MP Chris Williamson, who has been touring local Labour branches over the summer to make the case for a change to the party's rules, has said a shake-up of the selection process would end the "job for life" culture of MPs in safe seats.
"I’m sure even the chair of Jeremy Corbyn’s allotment society has to face reselection now and then," he said.
"It’s a practice that’s commonplace in trade unions. Primaries are a standard feature of democracy in the United States. But for some elitists, it’s dangerous and radical."
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