Luke Akehurst, secretary of Labour First: He reckons he’s going to ‘fix’ the Labour Party conference, it seems.

You thought the leadership election was where the future of the Labour Party would be decided, didn’t you? Think again.

If Jeremy Corbyn wins, he will have to overcome opposition to his policies at the annual party conference, immediately after the result of the election is announced.

Luke Akehurst, fresh from his huge defeat as a candidate in this year’s elections to the National Executive Committee, has been emailing members of the right-wing ‘Labour First’ organisation within the Labour Party, asking for their help with his plan to ‘fix’ the conference.

I strongly advise all members of the Labour Party to read J Simpkins’s article, part of which is quoted below. Consider the implications of what is being said, and consider what you wish to do about this.

Any CLP may meet to discuss contemporary motions (and, This Writer presumes, the way the CLP will vote in the other matters).

Perhaps better alternatives may be found and the right-wingers can be trumped?

Labour First are asking CLPs who have nominated Owen Smith to have official meetings, and suggest Contemporary Motions for submission to the Labour Party prior to the conference.

[The motions] are precisely the arguments that Owen Smith is putting forwards in the Labour Leadership debates.

You could reasonably surmise then, that the purpose of organising all of the Smith-supporting CLPs to pass motions containing Smith’s policy to the Labour Annual Conference is to ensure that whoever wins, Smith’s ideas are enacted by the party in the future.

[Labour First, organised by Luke Akehurst, is also advising Smith-supporting CLPs on “set piece votes” such as the election of a member of the National Constitutional Committee – “a battle between former MP and Corbyn supporter Chris Williamson and incumbent Maggie Cosin”, important because the NCC deals with important and contentious disciplinary issues and expulsions, and the right-wingers want to ensure that they can kick out anyone they please.

[And rule changes can be put before conference and recommended by the NEC at any point in the run-up to conference, with the outgoing NEC holding office until the final day of conference. The letter to Labour First members by Mr Akehurst states: “With so much that could happen at conference, the leadership election results, whilst they will set the tone for week, may very quickly be overtaken in news value and political significance by the outcome of one of these other tussles in the struggle to determine the direction Labour goes in.”]

This troubles me greatly.  I respect democracy, and want to see the Parliamentary direction of our party chosen by it’s leader as much as possible.  I totally oppose  any action which is expressly taken to damage the incumbent or the candidates’ term of leadership.

Source: Luke Akehurst from “Labour First” claims to have already “fixed” the Labour Annual Conference | A Blade of Grass

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