Reset the Labour Party

In the face of the growing electoral threat to the Labour Party exposed by the Gorton and Denton by-election - and ahead of difficult elections across Wales, Scotland and England in May - 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. Labour can only survive - and actually deliver for people and communities - if we choose a different path: fair taxation of the wealthiest, real investment in public services, taking essential services like energy and water into democratic ownership, and promoting peace and internationalism abroad. We welcome advances made by this Government, such as the ending of the two-child benefit limit, but we know that Labour must be bolder, braver and broader than ever before to rise to the immense challenges of the current moment.

We stand for rebuilding basic democracy, pluralism and fair process within our party. That means restoring genuinely open parliamentary and other selections, ending the suspension of MPs for legitimate scrutiny of the Government, and moving away from the kind of top-down control that prevents local members from choosing their own representatives and engaging in meaningful debate and participation. We support democratic policy-making and strong equalities structures. The Labour leadership must listen to the views of Labour members and affiliates.

Members are at the heart of any successful democratic party. When people feel genuine ownership, motivation and pride in the movement they belong to, the whole Party is stronger. Yet we are seeing too many members giving up on Labour in anger, or drifting away in disappointment. Rebuilding our membership - by valuing their voice and making space for real participation and engagement - must be a priority for Labour’s success.

We, the undersigned members from every section of the Labour Party - parliamentarians, councillors, internal election candidates, members and trade unionists, pledge to reset the Labour Party.

Supporters

Candidates (NEC, CLP Section):

Cat Arnold (Sitting NEC member, Mainstream endorsed candidate)
Minesh Parekh (CLGA endorsed candidate)
Kerry Postlewhite (Mainstream endorsed candidate)
Gemma Bolton (Sitting NEC member, CLGA endorsed candidate)
Jovan Owusu-Nepaul (Mainstream endorsed candidate)
Yasmine Dar (Sitting NEC member, CLGA endorsed candidate)

Candidates (NEC, Disabled Members Section):

Emily Pomroy-Smith (Independent candidate)

MPs:

Paula Barker MP
Simon Opher MP
Clive Lewis MP
Apsana Begum MP
Lorraine Beavers MP
John McDonnell MP
Nadia Whittome MP
Jon Trickett MP
Charlotte Nichols MP
Ian Byrne MP
Alex Sobel MP
Mary Kelly Foy MP
Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP
Chris Hinchliff MP
Brian Leishman MP
Steve Witherden MP
Richard Burgon MP
Neil Duncan-Jordan MP
Rebecca Long-Bailey MP

AMs:

Mick Antoniw AM

Councillors:

Cllr Sean Laws (Sunderland City Council)
Cllr Linda Williams (Sunderland City Council)
Cllr Joanne Chapman (Sunderland City Council)
Cllr Brandon Feeley (Sunderland City Council)
Cllr Paul Stewart (Sunderland City Council)
Cllr Martyn Herron (Sunderland City Council)
Cllr Iain Scott (Sunderland City Council)
Cllr Jill Fletcher (Sunderland City Council)
Cllr John Usher (Sunderland City Council)
Cllr Denise Robson (Gateshead Council)
Cllr Paul Weston (Stockton Borough Council)
Cllr Katie Weston (Stockton Borough Council)
Cllr Marilyn Surtees (Stockton Borough Council)
Cllr Linda White (Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council)
Cllr Dan De’ath (Cardiff Council)
Cllr Ed Stubbs (Cardiff Council)
Cllr Jamie Green (Cardiff Council)
Cllr Nairn Angus-McDonald (North Ayrshire Council)
Cllr James Gibson (Leeds City Council)
Cllr Luke Farley (Leeds City Council)
Cllr John Garvani (Leeds City Council)
Cllr Nabeela Mowlana (Sheffield City Council)
Cllr Ruth Milsom (Sheffield City Council)
Cllr Santiago Bell-Bradford (Islington Council)
Cllr Maxine Sadza (Southend-on-Sea City Council)
Cllr Matt Brown (Preston City Council)
Cllr Scott Patient (Calderdale Council)
Cllr Helen Antcliff (Wakefield Council)
Cllr Emily Owen (Conwy County Borough Council)
Cllr Aydin Dikerdem (Wandsworth Council)
Cllr Adele Williams (Nottingham City Council)
Cllr Max Holloway (Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council)
Cllr Sean Waters (Broxbourne Borough Council)
Cllr Joe Ghayouba (Cumberland Council)
Cllr Angela Brown (Rochdale Borough Council)
Cllr Sarah Doyle (Liverpool City Council)
Cllr Tomas Logan (Liverpool City Council)
Cllr Elizabeth Hayden (Liverpool City Council)
Cllr Theresa Mackay (Brighton and Hove City Council)
Cllr Dora Polenta (Rushcliffe Borough Council)
Cllr Jen Walker (Rushcliffe Borough Council)
Cllr Daniel Wright-Mason (North Herts Council)
Cllr Luke Sorba (Lewisham Council)
Cllr Stephen Penfold (Lewisham Council)
Cllr Natasha Burgess (Lewisham Council)
Cllr Billy Harding (Lewisham Council)
Cllr Liam Curran (Lewisham Council)
Cllr Tauseef Anwar (Lewisham Council)
Cllr Aisha Malik-Smith (Lewisham Council)