Labour’s main leadership contenders have been urged to join calls for a halt to a party reorganisation that would result in multiple sackings of party staff.
As the timetable for the leadership race was set out, representatives of Unite and GMB sent a letter to leadership and deputy leadership contenders urging them to sign a statement to stop a clear-out of staff members.
Leadership contenders Keir Starmer, Emily Thornberry, Jess Phillips and Lisa Nandy and deputy candidate Angela Rayner said they would support the statement. Rebecca Long Bailey, who declared her candidacy on Monday night, has also reportedly offered her support to staff.
The move comes amid reports of significant internal party changes after last month’s calamitous election result. Jeremy Corbyn’s chief of staff, Karie Murphy, and the party’s general secretary, Jennie Formby, are reportedly drafting an overhaul of party structures before he steps down in the spring.
Labour’s new leader and deputy leader will be announced at a special conference on 4 April, with prospective supporters given a 48-hour window next week to sign up if they want to have their say.
The decision by Unite and GMB to send the letter to candidates is significant, as both unions will influence the contest. Both Murphy and Formby are former senior Unite figures.
The joint union statement reads: “As candidates in the leadership and deputy leadership campaigns we firmly believe that a thorough review should be the duty and responsibility of the next leadership team when a full and frank debate has taken place. It would be a mistake for the party to undertake any steps towards reorganisation of the party until a new leader and deputy leader are in place.”
On Monday night leadership favourite Starmer offered his “wholehearted” support for the letter.
He said: “Hard-working staff need immediate reassurance, not a rushed reorganisation. It’s important any structural changes to the Labour party are undertaken by the new leadership team following a full consultation with staff and trade unions.”
A senior union source said: “How can anyone think it’s a sensible idea to restructure the entire party before a new leadership team is elected? We lost. If the people proposing this restructure had the answers, they’d be in No 10 by now.
“Rushed, politically motivated hirings and firings are part of the problem, not the solution.”
Clive Lewis
Shadow Treasury minister and MP for Norwich South, he rejoined Labour’s frontbench in January 2018, having resigned in February 2017 in order to oppose the bill triggering the Brexit process.
Rebecca Long Bailey
A close ally of the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, the Salford MP and shadow business secretary has been groomed as a potential leftwing contender for the top job.
Pitch Promising to champion “progressive patriotism”.
Lisa Nandy
The Wigan MP has built a reputation as a campaigner for her constituency and others like it, many of which have fallen to the Tories. A soft-left candidate, she resigned from the shadow cabinet in 2016 over Corbyn’s leadership and handling of the EU referendum.
Pitch Wants to “bring Labour home” to voters that have abandoned the party in its traditional strongholds.
Jess Phillips
The MP for Birmingham Yardley is a strong media performer who has built up a significant public profile from the backbenches. Her fiery speeches and witty barbs aimed at the Conservatives frequently go viral online.
Pitch Prepared to argue for Britain to re-enter the European Union and address challenge of bringing back working-class voters.
Keir Starmer
Ambitious former director of public prosecutions has led the charge for remain in the shadow cabinet. He was instrumental in shifting Labour’s position towards backing a second referendum
Pitch Launched his campaign by highlighting how he has stood up for leftwing causes as a campaigning lawyer, and unveiled the slogan “Another Future is Possible”.
Emily Thornberry
The shadow foreign secretary and MP in Islington South and Finsbury, she will have to fight allegations of being part of the “metropolitan elite”.
Labour sources said organisational reviews are common after a general election and no decisions have yet been made on staffing matters, and would only be decided after union consultations.
The party’s ruling national executive committee (NEC) decided at a three-hour meeting on Monday that the framework for the contest would stick closely to that set out in the party’s rulebook.
A Labour spokesperson said: “We are by far the largest political party in the UK with well over half a million members. We want as many of our members and supporters to take part, so it has been designed to be open, fair and democratic.”
When Corbyn announced the day after last month’s election defeat that he would resign, Long Bailey was immediately installed as favourite by some bookmakers. However, the shadow Brexit secretary, Keir Starmer, appears to have taken a lead in the contest, according to an early poll of members.
Long Bailey was called the “continuity candidate” earlier on Monday by the party’s former deputy leader, Tom Watson.
Corbyn announced last month that he would step aside after a “period of reflection” following Labour’s worst general election performance since 1935.
Candidates for both jobs will face a week-long scramble to secure the support of 22 of their fellow MPs or MEPs, with nominations closing at 2.30pm on Monday 13 January.
If they pass that hurdle, they will have a month to win the backing of 5% of constituency Labour parties, or at least three affiliated groups, which between them represent 5% of affiliated members – two of which must be trades unions.
As in 2016, when Owen Smith challenged Corbyn, registered supporters will be given 48 hours – starting next Tuesday at 5pm – to pay £25 to sign up.
In 2015, a mass of “three quidders” were recruited – the supporters who signed up for £3 to back Corbyn’s candidacy.
Unlike in 2016, however, new members will be able to join the Labour party and have a vote until a cutoff date of 20 January. The ballot will then open on 21 February and close on 2 April.
