Labour’s interim leader, Harriet Harman, has announced that any registered voter will be able to help choose the party’s next leader for a £3 fee, prompting fears that the contest could be sabotaged by political opponents.
In a speech at Labour HQ in London, Harman said she wanted to “let the public in” to the contest, and said that people who were not party members or affiliated supporters through a union or Labour-linked organisation would be able to vote.
She said: “Anyone – providing they are on the electoral register – can become a registered supporter, pay £3 and have a vote to decide our next leader. This is the first time a political party in this country has opened up its leadership contest in this way and I think there will be a real appetite for it out there.”
The party plans to open up the election of its candidate for mayor of London in the same way, with a deadline of 12 June for paying £3 to register.
Harman’s announcement prompted speculation that the contest could be gamed by Conservative supporters in order to select an unpopular candidate.
Harriet Harman says anyone can vote for the new Labour leader if they pay £3. Pretty sure the Tories have the funds to get Ed Miliband back
— Michael Deacon (@MichaelPDeacon) May 18, 2015
Labour saying one person one vote, including anyone who signs up online for £3 as a supporter. Surely open to corruption? @BBCWorldatOne
— Naomi Phillips (@nayphillips) May 18, 2015
I'm going to pay £3 so I can vote on the #Labourleadership Andy Burnham with Rachel Reeves. Because I want Labour to fail
— Keep Labour Out (@GetLabourOut) May 18, 2015
Harman said that whereas hustings for the leadership election in 2010 had taken place in front of party members in Labour-held seats, this time non-Labour members should be invited to hear the candidates speak.
She said: “We should not be afraid of differences. We should thrash them out. And nor should we be afraid of letting the public in to see those arguments.
“Not the politically obsessed public, the people like us, but the people who most of the time are busy getting on with their lives, not thinking about politics.”
Harman said the party had begun talks with broadcasters about televising the hustings that are not held in Labour heartlands.
“We have to go back and ask local people from those areas to be brutally honest about what they think of us and what they want from us,” she said.
