Ryan’s CLP votes overwhelmingly for investigation into ally’s selection process

The SKWAWKBOX has exposed the extremely troubling practices involved in the selection of candidates for the recent local elections in the London borough of Enfield – and the way in which the LCF (local campaign forum) Secretary who oversaw the admittedly-flawed process was then elected as council leader by the candidates who made it through that process.

Those concerns prompted Enfield Southgate, one of the borough’s three CLPs (constituency Labour parties), to overwhelmingly pass a motion calling for the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) to investigate the selections – and the deselection of all the borough’s black councillors.

The central subject of these concerns, new council leader Nesil Caliskan (née Cazimoglu), is considered to be closely allied to Enfield North MP Joan Ryan – her mother works for the MP, while her younger sister Eda Cazimoglu is a member of the right-wing slate for this summer’s NEC elections.

But Ms Ryan’s CLP has voted by a huge majority to support Enfield Southgate’s concerns over the selection process – and its call for an investigation into the selections and other irregularities and the involvement of both Ms Caliskan and Labour’s regional director in the process – at its monthly meeting last night.

The full wording of the motion, which included a nod to this blog, passed was as follows:

This CLP notes with concern allegations by Enfield Southgate CLP regarding irregularities in the recent councillor selection processes, as well as the role of the then LCF Chair & Secretary and the Regional Director in the handling of the aforementioned irregularities (see appendix B).

It is also extremely disturbing that members must read of these allegations in third party publications rather than direct reports from our LCF delegates. Delegates are given the responsibility of making decisions on behalf of the membership but that does not abrogate them from the responsibility of reporting the details and consequences of those decisions to the membership. The allegations also state that the Regional Director reached a conclusion regarding these irregularities that was in direct contradiction to statements made by the then LCF Chair and Secretary.

This CLP instructs our EC via our LCF delegates to pursue an investigation in conjunction with the current LCF in order to establish whether any such irregularities have taken place. Should the outcome of such an investigation warrant further scrutiny, then this CLP instructs our LCF delegates to raise the matter with the NEC on it’s behalf.

The EC is asked to report regularly to the membership on the progress of the investigation to and this CLP agrees to set a deadline of 12th September 2018 for the completion of the process and the presentation of its conclusions.

This CLP instructs our LCF delegates and Labour Group observers to in future provide regular written reports to the membership with the details of relevant business so that the membership may meaningfully contribute to party business during meetings.

Two out of the three Labour parties in Enfield borough have now expressed serious concerns over what has happened and have demanded an investigation – in at least one case, by Labour’s National Executive.

The SKWAWKBOX described Enfield Southgate’s decision two weeks ago as an earthquake. The tremors have continued as revelations have continued to emerge – and they found a new epicentre last night at the meeting of Joan Ryan’s Enfield North CLP, given her prominence as a figure of the party’s right wing.

An amendment that called for an immediate NEC investigation was not taken although it was clear from the debate that there was wide support for the principle..

Note: Last night’s CLP meeting was technically ‘inquorate’, as the CLP’s standing orders mandate a quorum of 25% of its roughly one thousand members – few CLPs have 25% of all members at ordinary monthly meetings and most CLPs agree a lower figure. This will have done little to lessen the impact of the decision.

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