Scottish and Welsh Labour leaders angry at delay of NEC vote at conference
Jeremy Corbyn’s fight to prevent the appointment of delegates from Wales and Scotland to Labour’s NEC has failed after efforts by his supporters to delay a key vote.
At its meeting last week the National Executive Committee agreed that the Scottish and Welsh leaders should be able to appoint a member each to the ruling body.
Those around Corbyn sought, at this morning’s meeting of the NEC in Liverpool, to halt a vote at conference on the proposal, arguing that the representatives should be elected. The fear in the Corbyn camp is that without election it would tilt the balance of the NEC away from supporting him.
The NEC however agreed to proceed with a vote on the plans by delegates tomorrow.
It comes amid reports on the PoliticsHome website of extraordinary exchanges between the Scottish and Welsh Leaders and Jeremy Corbyn.
Speaking during a meeting of the NEC on Saturday evening, Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale attacked Jeremy Corbyn’s efforts to delay a vote on the plans just hours after his own re-election. She is quoted as having declared:
‘How dare you preach unity and then try to undermine me as Scottish leader.’
PoliticsHome has also reported one Labour source as having said of Labour’s leader in Wales, following this morning’s meeting of the NEC, that ‘Carwyn Jones spoke out and told Jeremy in no uncertain terms that the vote must happen tomorrow.’
The Welsh First Minister told PoliticsHome afterwards that
‘we have devolution in Wales and Scotland. We’ve waited years for these changes. They need to go through this week.’
The meeting came just hours after Carwyn Jones yesterday delivered his speech to the party conference. In a sobering segment, he reminded delegates that Labour was only able to publish a programme for government last week because it had won power.
He went on to provide what in hindsight is an obvious but also critical point for Jeremy Corbyn’s supporters to remember:
‘Conference we need to constantly remind ourselves what Labour being in government actually means.
That is our historic mission – that is the journey that Hardie started and every Labour leader since must try and advance.
How was it that Bevan finished his great quote, ‘the language of priorities is the religion of socialism’?
It was with these words: ‘only by the possession of power can you get the priorities correct.’
Ed Jacobs is a contributing editor to Left Foot Forward
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11 Responses to “Kezia Dugdale and Carwyn Jones clash with Jeremy Corbyn over NEC”
Kezia Dugdale blasts SNP 'austerity budgets', pledging a 50p tax to stop Tory cuts | Left Foot Forward
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Martyn Wood-Bevan
Will this in any way prevent those badly affected by the purge from getting any justice? I am very untrusting of any party hierarchy issues, combined with the contributions of both Progress and Labour First, who both seem intent on sabotaging any chance of a Labour victory in 2020. Horrible times, all too underhand. I am in Wales and would have liked a say in who is on the NEC representing here – simple democracy.
Mick Hills
It seems the undermining of Corbyn has no limits. I really wonder why and come to horrible conclusions.
Royvia
Great post.
Fredro
Nice post!