Peter Kenyon

Has Len Duvall offered to resign as GLA Labour Group leader, if not, why not?

While the king/queen makers of London politics go about buffing up their egos talent spotting for 2016, there is a not insignificant question about the Leadership of the Greater London Assembly Labour Party group.

Jon Worth, writing on Labour List earlier today states: Labour needs a new leader for London to take the attack to Boris http://bit.ly/J96a7K

I replied:

You pose a highly pertinent question. 

But unless I am mistaken (a frequent occurrence, but, hey) there will be an election for leader of the GLA Labour Group? Maybe it has already taken place? If that election has not been framed in the context of who best to hold the Tory mayor to account and position Labour to win in 2016 (unless Labour is minded to abolish elected mayors) then the London Labour Party board needs to get busy.

The leadership you seek can only come from among our 12 Labour representatives elected last Thursday. You cite three potential candidates, Len Duvall, Val Shawcross, and Jennette Arnold. Maybe there are others from among the new intake.

Effectively governance of the process is not helped by the chair of the London Labour Party board being none other than Len Duvall. Such blatant conflicts of interest have to legislated out of order by Conference. In the meantime a pragmatic view will have to prevail. Len must stand down as GLA Labour Group leader and allow a contested election to take place.

I hope Len does the decent thing and steps down as Group Leader, declares a conflict of interest as Chair of the London Labour Party board, and allows a proper contest to take place.

London Labour GLA wannabes will have to be quick

Labour Party members in London wanting to stand for election to the Greater London Assembly are going to have to be quick.

Nominations close in just two weeks' time. 

Nominations opened three months ago. Whoops that should read days. 

Not a particularly good advertisement for a democratic socialist party. Regrettably looks like more of the same, despite a change of Leader.

Timeline to diktat: Labour Party candidate selection - Tower Hamlets

At the risk of further accusations of fuelling dissent in neighbouring Tower Hamlets, here's the timeline:

21 October 2010 - election of a sitting councillor as elected Mayor triggering a Council by-election in Spitalfields and Banglatown Ward

29 October 2010 - letter sent inviting applications from candidates wishing to stand to represent the Labour Party in the above ward

4 November 2010 - deadline for applications for Labour Party members to apply

6 November 2010 - 'Selection Panel' approved by/appointed by London Labour Party 'selects' candidate

UPDATE 11 November

11 November 2010 - Tower Hamlets Labour Party Executive Committee meets (London Regional Director Ken Clark has written to local chair Graham Taylor banning all party meetings until after the S&B by-election on 16 December)

19 November 2010 - deadline for nomination of candidates for the Spitalfields and Banglatown ward by-election

It is highly likely I have missed out some important steps in this process. But the questions that arise are:

1) who authorised the procedure adopted?

2) why were ward members excluded from the selection process at the outset?

3) is it humanly possible to amend for the errors and enable all members in Spitalfields and Banglatown Ward to decide for themselves who should be the Labour Party candidate in the by-election?

On the final point, I would just add that I am about to circulate a communication to all members in the City of London (Branch) Labour Party. I know all 80 plus members will have been sent the communique before the close of business today, with the exception of three who will (subject to the readiness of CWU members to deliver first class post next day) get the mailout tomorrow.

Why can't the members of neighbouring Spitalfields and Banglatown Branch Labour Party enjoy the same service?

UPDATE 2150 - Local paper reports Labour withdraws Spitalfields and Banglatown candidate after ‘outraged’ members complain http://bit.ly/bOR2XD

Let's await confirmation.

London Labour Party - command and control continues in Tower Hamlets

An item on my Facebook Newsfeed asks:

...who is this unknown guy [imposed by Region to stand in the Spitalfields by-election] Brick Laners are fuming about?

Is this what happened to members' rights under a new leader? Same old command and control and (question) another Labour council seat now in jeopardy.

The by-election follows the election of former Labour Councillor Lutfur Rahman as Mayor of Tower Hamlets (see Peter Kenyon blogs passim)

London Labour Party - a governance free zone

In four weeks time on 13 November, the London Labour Party will be holding its biennial conference in Stratford Town Hall.

Our CLP has lined up a delegation, two men and two women, who have elected a Head of Delegation. But what is going to be discussed? Is there a Biennial Report and Accounts, are there resolutions to be voted on, is there an agenda? As a CLP secretary, I have no idea. How is the delegation going to be guided when it comes to choosing what should be debated?

I have access to Survey Monkey, so I could offer every member on eMail a chance to express a view on the performance of the London Regional Board, or set out preferences for debate, or choose whom the delegation should vote for to represent the region on the National Policy Forum. For most members it would probably be the first time they have ever even heard of the London Labour Party.

In this new bottoms-up Party of ours, I hope my avid readers close to our new Leader will be moved to have a think about the regional structures - listed as among the darker corners requiring a powerful light shined on them in my book.

The regional director might get a feather in his cap if he put all this material up on the regional party's website, if, of course, the powers that be let him. Think of the precedent it would create in the other 10 Labour regions. if you think every member has a right to know, toot for transparency.