"To win elections and to govern the country effectively Labour must be a broad church."
An influential group of progressive politicians, activists and organisations have signed an open letter urging the Labour leadership to immediately end what they have called “the factional suspension of candidates”.
The letter comes after Faiza Shaheen was blocked from standing as a Labour candidate in the general election. Shaheen – who was intending to go head to head with veteran Tory politician Iain Duncan Smith – had her candidacy barred after a panel of Labour’s National Executive Committee reviewed 14 tweets she had either liked or posted herself.
The former Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle has also been blocked from being a candidate after a complaint was submitted against him. Russell-Moyle said the complaint is ‘false’ and ‘designed to disrupt this election’.
Meanwhile, it remains unclear whether Diane Abbott will be allowed to stand again as a Labour candidate in Hackney North and Stoke Newington. Abbott has claimed that her candidacy is being blocked, but the Labour leader Keir Starmer has said that no decision has been taken to block her.
Shaheen, Russell-Moyle and Abbott are all on the left of the Labour Party.
The letter is organised by cross-party campaign group Compass and has been signed by the former Labour minister Clare Short, former senior Labour adviser Andrew Fisher and the former Labour MP John Austin.
The letter reads: “To win elections and to govern the country effectively Labour must be a broad church. This is how it won and governed in 1945, 1964 in 1997. At this critical election juncture, the suspension of candidates on the most dubious grounds is not only wrong, it is counter productive. It makes the party seem inward-looking and controlling. It feels far from the tolerant and open politics the country needs and wants and it will alienate many voters just when we need them most.
“If Labour is to win the election and then govern in all the complexities of the 21st Century it will require both agility and pluralism. A better future can only be negotiated not imposed. This is not just about Labour – it’s about putting country before party. It’s about the future of progressive politics and our democratic culture.
“As progressives of all stripes, we call on Keir Starmer to show leadership and bring an immediate end to these factional moves. He must unite the party around the project to both beat the Tories and govern the country for progressive ends.”
The full list of signatories is as follows:
- Baroness Ruth Lister
- Clare Short, former Labour Secretary of State
- Frances Foley, Compass
- Melissa Benn, author and education activist
- Will MCallum/Areeba Hamid, Greenpeace
- Ben Stewart, Led by Donkeys
- John Austin, Labour MP (1992-2010)
- Andrew Fisher, Ex Labour Head of Policy
- Mark Perryman, author The Corbyn Effect
- Jon Lansman
- Eunice Goes, Renewal
- Ruth Hayes, Vice Chair of the Labour Party Women’s Committee
- Jeremy Gilbert, author and activist
- Sara Apps, Labour Councillor Wandsworth
- Henry Tinsley, Chair, Left Foot Forward
- Dr. Will Stronge, The Autonomy Institute
- Luke Hilyard, The High Pay Centre
- Neal Lawson, Compass
- Isky Gordon, Professor Paediatric Imaging UCl
- Manda Scott, author Any Human Power
- Ivor Gaber, Professor of Political Journalism, University of Sussex
- John Jackson, campaign strategist
- Tom Schuller, author of The Paula Principle
Compass has also published the open letter on their website allowing members of the public to add their names to it.
Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward
Image credit: US State Department – Public Domain
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