On 18th April Theresa May notified the country she would be calling a general election, therefore we held an emergency National Executive Committee meeting on 19th April at HQ. The main points of discussion were around the general election, campaign themes and strategy, policy making and the manifesto and finances. In spite of reports suggesting Labour is unprepared for this election we have actually been preparing for this since last year with increased staff and office space. Leader's Report Jeremy spoke firstly about Labour’s reaction in parliament to this announcement and how we are positive going forward. He reaffirmed his commitment to ensure young people are registered and not disenfranchised with the election held in the middle of exams and when students may be between 2 places. Jeremy Corbyn and Kezia Dugdale then spoke of the importance of dismissing the idea of a ‘progressive’ alliance with the SNP, Greens and Lib Dems. These parties are not progressive and as a Labour Party we will be working to ensure a Labour government. Selection of parliamentary candidates It was agreed that for the 631 constituencies where Labour stands candidates the NEC will shortlist and select candidates prior to 3rd May. Seats with Labour MP: they will be automatically reselected pending NEC endorsement. Seats with retiring Labour MPs: panels of the NEC officers will select candidates after an interview. All other seats: panels of NEC and regional board members from each region will shortlist based on CVs of applications and select a candidate for each constituency. Any 2015 candidate wanting to re-stand will also be given the opportunity to do so. Applications will open on 21st April and close on 23rd April. On 3rd April we will meet as the NEC to choose whether to endorse candidates. I pushed to ensure that the party reaffirms its commitment to all woman shortlists (AWS) as we did in 2015, thanks to the young Labour women who wrote to me about this. It is vital we are encouraging candidates who are from minority backgrounds and women to stand for parliament. I really want to encourage young members to put your names forward for seats, you can be a candidate from the age of 18 and it is so important young members are able to take full part in our party’s processes. I have written a blog on the topic here. If you have any questions about standing for a seat get in touch! It is regrettable that members will not get to take part in this selection process but due to time constraints it is crucial we select candidates quickly and get campaigning started for a Labour victory! Campaign themes and strategy Next we were given an update on Labour’s campaign and strategy plan. Regional offices will be directing campaigners to marginal seats in their area. I asked about the importance of ensuring young members are given the information and resources to be able to fully participate and get into key seats, this is now a priority for the party. I also spoke about the salience of Brexit in this general election and how we need to work this into the majority of speeches and pledges because ultimately many will vote based on this. The NEC welcomed the promise that all policies will be fully costed and consistent. I am confident the campaign we will be running is strong and I would like to thank party staff who are working incredibly hard in such difficult circumstances to ensure the campaign is the best it can be. Policy making and Manifesto I am proud that we have committed to ensure our manifesto is accessible to people will disabilities as we did in 2015. Firstly, stakeholder engagement will take place and I will be representing Young Labour during this process. Stakeholders include sections of the party, trade unions and socialist societies. NPF representatives will also be consulted and I will be ensuring the NPF youth reps are also included in this process and not shut out. A Clause V meeting will be held, chaired by Jeremy Corbyn this will include the NEC, the shadow cabinet, the parliamentary committee of the PLP and the exec of the NPF. During this meeting we will agree the manifesto. I will be pushing to ensure young members in our party are heard during this process and will do my best to represent everyone. We need a manifesto for young people to win the general election and to do this we need to show young people in the country that Labour is the party for young people. Membership activity In line with the party rule book all internal Labour Party meetings are temporarily suspended due to the general election. However, members may still meet to campaign and plan campaigning. Campaigning If you are a young member wanting to get out on the doorstep and campaign in the next few weeks, then that is fantastic. There are numerous ways you can do this and we will have more information this week. However, as a first port of call get in touch with your CLP secretary (although they may email you first) to ask when campaigning sessions are being held. Young Labour and Labour Students will be organising some big campaign days but for the most part getting into your nearest key seat (seats which are marginal) will be crucial for a Labour win. If you have not campaigned before just let the organiser know when you get there and they will pair you up with a more experienced door knocker to show you the ropes. In 2015 I campaigned on the Wirral West campaign, one of the only seats we stole back from the Tories electing Margaret Greenwood. Wirral Young Labour's work on this seat over 3 years is likely to have made the difference in the 400 vote majority. Young Labour can make history by getting out on the doorstep and campaigning for Labour, you can too! I'm so excited to see young members on the doorstep over the next 7 weeks and I will be getting around the country to as many key seats as possible. So if you have any campaign days planned get in touch! Any questions, drop me an email: [email protected] Jasmin Labour NEC Youth Rep
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AuthorHere are my Monthly NEC Youth Rep reports and my full NEC meeting reports, starting from March 2016 I'll keep this updated so you know what's going on. Archives
January 2018
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