Sonia Klein has been chosen by Campaign for Labour Party Democracy (CLPD) as the new candidate for its left slate in the elections for additional members of Labour’s National Constitutional Committee (NCC), the party’s senior disciplinary body.
Ms Klein, who was initially proposed by Labour CND, is a Labour member in the Welsh constituency of Gower.
A statement circulated to members by CLPD’s two representatives to the decision-making body says:
Following the withdrawal of a candidate, CLPD’s Chair, Secretary and Treasurer, in discussion with CLPD’s CLGA representatives, have agreed to put forward Sonia Klein as a candidate for the NCC.
Sonia is a BAME woman and member of Gower CLP in Wales.
Sonia’s candidature had previously been proposed to the CLGA by Labour CND and it withdrew her name last week in order to help move the CLGA discussion forward.
CLPD had been seeking a BAME woman from the North, Scotland or Wales as our replacement candidate. If there was such a candidate on the Momentum slate for CLPD to put forward that person would have been chosen, but unfortunately that is not the case.
EC members will be aware that CLPD has sought to achieve a united slate and opposes the exclusion of Stephen Marks, a pro-Palestinian Jewish candidate. Every organisation that took part in the CLGA discussions, bar one, is backing that candidate.
CLPD will circulate an updated NCC slate in due course.
Ms Klein replaces Bradford-based Kaneez Akhtar, who withdrew just after being announced.
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I am glad that CLPD has now replaced one that withdrew. I am very happy to support all the ones proposed by CLPD.
I am very unhappy about Momentum, following the lead of Lansman, who is beginning to look like a saboteur. I have resigned from Momentum and will urge all who feel Lansman is becoming a problem for Labour unity to do the same. I think Momentum need the pressure to get rid of Lansman to make sure Labour doesn’t break into factions again.
Lansman and those like him are wolves in sheep’s clothings.
I also left Momentum after the Willsman betrayal and joined CLPD – Lansman seems Zionist first and Left-Wing second to my mind, whereas JLM and LFOI seem intractably part of the right-wing faction trying to overthrow Corbyn.
Unfortunately we really need to retain membership of CLPD, Momentum and LRC. They all have a different emphasis on the important activities and each has something important to offer but with the same essential political outcomes.
In my opinion resignations are just personal tantrums – perhaps we all need the occasional outbursts, but that is all they should be, as they lack the essence of a strategy for collective advancement rather than personal therapy.
“Every organisation that took part in the CLGA discussions, bar one, is backing that candidate” is useful to know, isn’t it? Regardless of my own absolute support for the CLPD slate, it seems to me, now, that this may be the slate that is more likely to achieve a left consensus; or have I got that wrong?
Voting for the CLPD slate doesn’t have to be seen as necessarily challenging the Momentum movement ( as opposed to its constitution and current leadership) does it?
I ask partly because of the implications of splitting the left vote; but also because we need to get on with that other challenge, of persuading our CLPs.
Sorry, I meant to say “… challenging the future of the Momentum movement …”
The Left Slate for the NCC (National Constitutional Committee) election, chosen by Campaign for Labour Party Democracy, is now:
Annabelle Harle
CLP: Cardiff West
Annabelle has previously served as a Welsh Labour Executive Committee member, National Policy Forum member and CLP Secretary
Gary Heather
CLP: Islington North
Gary is a Labour Councillor, has previously stood for Parliament and held positions including CLP Chair
Sonia Klein
Gower CLP
Sonia is a BAME woman
Stephen Marks
CLP: Oxford East
Stephen has previously served as a Labour County Councillor and held positions including Vice-chair of the District Labour Party
Khaled Moyeed
CLP: Tottenham
Khaleed is a Labour Councillor, who has held positions including CLP BAME Officer. He is Vice Chair of Young Labour Lawyers
Cecile Wright
CLP: Derby North
Cecile is a former member of the TUC Race Relations Committee, has served on a Mental Health Trust, acted as a Trustee of the National Children’s Bureau and chaired a Women’s Refuge. She has held positions including CLP Vice-chair
Tick box candidate.
Wow, Momentum now embracing fully the spin game?
https://twitter.com/PeoplesMomentum/status/1051862475019362304
This continued spin on events by Momentum doesn’t inspire my confidence. It seems discussions really failed largely because the Momentum representative used their veto on JVL candidate agreed by all the other participants.
JVL represents Jewish voices being actively silenced in the public domain…
What’s cookin?
I agree. The tone of their statement is hardly conducive to bringing about a consensus. The Momentum executive (the “We …” of the statement) are pointing the finger at CLPD whilst affecting a conciliatory stance – more than a bit transparent really.
Holes are being dug here.
Has it occurred to anyone that if there is no agreement on slates and there is every chance of a right winger slipping in between the cracks, such a right winger would be a good choice for an anti-semitist to be bang central in the decision making process. Now who would want that to happen?
Will the delays in declaring the left slates, have an influence on the overall NCC votes? My CLP chose the Labour First slate, partly because the others hadn’t declared on time. Presumably meetings were arranged by other CLPs to discuss this soon after the conference. Does anyone know of any other CLPs that have been influenced this way?
On the votes, probably not. On nominations, undoubtedly