Labour’s left-wing factions have united behind a call for a “major reset” – warning the party will “only survive if it chooses a different path”.
The statement, from a coalition of MPs, councillors and activists, comes after a major intervention from Angela Rayner, in which she criticised Sir Keir Starmer’s “un-British” immigration reforms and said Labour’s “very survival” is “at stake”.
The former deputy prime minister was speaking at a reception hosted by Mainstream, a centre-left organisation which advocates for practical left policies and is closely aligned with Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.
Her language has been echoed by a new “Reset the Labour Party” statement, which calls for a change of course in the wake of the Gorton and Denton by-election disaster and potentially catastrophic local elections in May.
The statement, launching with an official website this evening and seen by Sky News, calls for bolder ideas and a more democratic culture within the party, hitting out at the “pandering to the far right” from the “top down” leadership.
It is supported by Mainstream as well as Momentum – the organisation that spearheaded Corbynmania.
The campaign also has the support of a broad group of Labour MPs, ranging from those in the Socialist Campaign Group like John McDonnell and Richard Burgon, to centre left figures from the Tribune group and Mainstream – such as Simon Opher and Paula Barker.
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The collaboration is significant, as there have historically been clashes between Labour’s left and centre-left.
It is part of an attempt for progressive figures to gain seats on the party’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC), which is facing elections later this year.
Highlighting Labour’s “growing electoral threat” the statement says: “Members from across our party’s progressive majority are uniting behind a call to urgently reset the Labour Party. The upcoming National Executive Committee elections are an opportunity to do just that.
“We stand against the insular, centralising approach of the current leadership that refuses to draw on the energy, talent and ideas of our whole movement, the continued underfunding of public services and local government, and the pandering to the talking points of the far right.”
Internal elections
Labour’s NEC sets the overall strategic direction of the party and has an influence on party rules and discipline and candidate selection.
Nine Constituency Labour Party (CLP) representatives are up for election on the body, with Mainstream and Momentum backing a different set of three candidates.
While this is not a joint slate, all of their candidates have signed the statement, as well as independent candidates.
It is hoped this will signal to members common ground between those standing from the broad left, who will be going up against those backed by Labour to Win – a pro-leadership group.
‘Choose a different path’
The NEC elections are not until the summer, but in going public now it signals the deep-rooted anger within many corners of the party about the direction of travel.
Last month’s Gorton and Denton by-election saw Labour come third, behind the Greens and Reform UK in a seat they had controlled for 100 years, after the NEC blocked Mr Burnham from standing.
The party has also lost to Reform UK in Runcorn, and to Plaid Cymru in Caerphilly.
With support for Labour collapsing across the country, there is growing speculation Sir Keir could face a leadership challenge following May’s local elections, which insiders expect to be a “bloodbath”.
The reset statement warns Labour can “only survive…if we choose a different path”, with policies such as wealth taxes and taking essential services into democratic ownership.
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It also calls for rebuilding democracy within the party, saying that means restoring “genuinely open” candidate selections, “ending the suspension of MPs for legitimate scrutiny of the government” and moving away from “top-down control”.
And it also warns members are giving up on Labour in “anger or disappointment”, and rebuilding membership “must be a priority for Labour’s success”.
The statement has been signed by councillors across the country, while other MPs names include jury trial critic Charlotte Nichols, Open Labour’s Alex Sobel and welfare rebels Chris Hinchliff and Neil Duncan-Jordan.
Rayner warns Labour ‘running out of time’
Ms Rayner – often tipped as a frontrunner to replace the prime minister – is not one of the signatories, but last night she made similar remarks as she praised Mainstream’s “radical realism”.
She said the “very survival of the Labour Party is at stake” and that the government is “running out of time” to deliver change as people have the impression it has been “defending the status quo”.
As well as criticising migration reforms, she said the government must pursue a relentless battle on the cost of living if it wants to emulate the success of centre-left governments in Norway and Canada that have bounced back to win amid rising populism.
Number 10 has since declined to give the migration reforms its full backing, but insisted today that Sir Keir “shares an impatience” to deliver change and is “firmly on the side of working people”.
