labourlist--2020-09-28--Labour left wins most backing as nominations close in NEC elections

Left candidates in the elections for Labour ’ s national executive committee have secured the strongest show of support from local parties , with all left slate candidates for member representative posts receiving at least 240 nominations each .
The deadline for Constituency Labour Parties ( CLPs ) to nominate candidates hoping to be elected to the 18 seats up for grabs on the NEC closed at midnight on Sunday , September 27th in the contest set to end in November .
Laura Pidcock received the most nominations of all contenders , with 333 CLPs backing the former MP .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ slate backed by Momentum , which did best in the nomination stage of the race .
But the candidate who secured the second highest number of nominations in the race , with 301 CLPs , was former NEC member Ann Black .
She was endorsed by soft-left group Open Labour .
Its other candidate , Jermain Jackman , was backed by 131 CLPs .
Of local party rep hopefuls on the slate promoted by Labour to Win , a group strongly supportive of Keir Starmer , current NEC member Johanna Baxter secured the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with 223 CLP nominations .
Of all Labour members who put themselves forward for CLP rep , nine received the backing of 200 local parties or more .
Of those , the CLGA supported six candidates , Labour to Win backed two and soft-left group Open Labour one .
The three candidates on the Tribune group of MPs slate were competitive , but Theresa Griffin and Paula Sherriff gained many more nominations than Liz McInnes .
This was likely due to Labour to Win lending its support to Griffin and Sherriff but not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an impressive showing , yet the CLGA candidates can not sweep the board in the final vote as they have done in past NEC elections because the voting system changed this year from first-past-the-post ( FPTP ) to single transferable vote ( STV ) .
The switch to STV led the main two factional slates to be reduced from nine candidates – enough to fill all available local party rep posts – to just six .
STV requires factions to maximise first-preference votes for their favoured candidates .
Just two candidates seeking to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ballot .
Left-wing incumbent Lara McNeill did best , picking up two big affiliated unions – Unite and GMB – and slightly more young member nominations .
Youth rep candidate Kira Lewis , McNeill ’ s sole opponent , won the support of large affiliated union UNISON , as well as Community , Usdaw and a number of socialist societies including the Jewish Labour Movement .
The newly created role of disabled rep saw 11 members secure places on the final ballot .
Ellen Morrison gained most support with the backing of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with nominations from 64 .
Both the youth and disabled reps are elected via an electoral college : youth rep is 50 % OMOV of young members and 50 % affiliated trade unions ; disabled rep is 50 % OMOV of self-identified disabled members and 50 % affiliated unions .
In the NEC Welsh rep race , incumbent Mick Antoniw won the backing of 19 Welsh CLPs and received more affiliate support than former First Minister Carwyn Jones who placed second .
The post is elected by an OMOV ballot of Welsh party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the two local government positions on the ruling body secured the most support in their contest , with soft-left councillor Alice Perry and LGA Labour leader Nick Forbes each being backed by 71 Labour groups .
Incumbent Diana Holland was by far the most successful candidate in the treasurer contest .
The assistant general secretary of Unite , who has held the Labour NEC post for the past ten years , received 242 nominations .
Ballots dispatch begins from October 19th , with voting closing on November 12th at noon .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
LabourList has put together a complete guide to the Labour NEC elections work .
Below is the full list of candidates who have secured a place on the final ballot for each role .

Left candidates in the elections for Labour’s national executive committee have secured the strongest show of support from local parties, with all left slate candidates for member representative posts receiving at least 240 nominations each.
The deadline for Constituency Labour Parties (CLPs) to nominate candidates hoping to be elected to the 18 seats up for grabs on the NEC closed at midnight on Sunday, September 27th in the contest set to end in November.
Laura Pidcock received the most nominations of all contenders, with 333 CLPs backing the former MP. She belonged to the Centre-Left Grassroots Alliance slate backed by Momentum, which did best in the nomination stage of the race.
But the candidate who secured the second highest number of nominations in the race, with 301 CLPs, was former NEC member Ann Black. She was endorsed by soft-left group Open Labour. Its other candidate, Jermain Jackman, was backed by 131 CLPs.
Of local party rep hopefuls on the slate promoted by Labour to Win, a group strongly supportive of Keir Starmer, current NEC member Johanna Baxter secured the most of any on the slate, with 223 CLP nominations.
Labour First’s Luke Akehurst has tweeted that this represents the first time “since at least 2006” all candidates on the “moderate” slate have won over 100 nominations, and said the left “always gets more nominations… as they control an array of small CLPs”.
Of all Labour members who put themselves forward for CLP rep, nine received the backing of 200 local parties or more. Of those, the CLGA supported six candidates, Labour to Win backed two and soft-left group Open Labour one.
A Campaign for Labour Party Democracy spokesperson described the results as “very good” and said the nominations show “there is mainstream support amongst Labour members for defending a socialist policy agenda and democratic rights for members”.
The three candidates on the Tribune group of MPs slate were competitive, but Theresa Griffin and Paula Sherriff gained many more nominations than Liz McInnes. This was likely due to Labour to Win lending its support to Griffin and Sherriff but not McInnes.
The Labour left has had an impressive showing, yet the CLGA candidates cannot sweep the board in the final vote as they have done in past NEC elections because the voting system changed this year from first-past-the-post (FPTP) to single transferable vote (STV).
The switch to STV led the main two factional slates to be reduced from nine candidates – enough to fill all available local party rep posts – to just six. STV requires factions to maximise first-preference votes for their favoured candidates.
Just two candidates seeking to become NEC youth representative secured places on the ballot. Left-wing incumbent Lara McNeill did best, picking up two big affiliated unions – Unite and GMB – and slightly more young member nominations.
Youth rep candidate Kira Lewis, McNeill’s sole opponent, won the support of large affiliated union UNISON, as well as Community, Usdaw and a number of socialist societies including the Jewish Labour Movement.
The newly created role of disabled rep saw 11 members secure places on the final ballot. Ellen Morrison gained most support with the backing of 206 CLPs, and George Lindars-Hammond followed with nominations from 64.
Both the youth and disabled reps are elected via an electoral college: youth rep is 50% OMOV of young members and 50% affiliated trade unions; disabled rep is 50% OMOV of self-identified disabled members and 50% affiliated unions.
In the NEC Welsh rep race, incumbent Mick Antoniw won the backing of 19 Welsh CLPs and received more affiliate support than former First Minister Carwyn Jones who placed second. The post is elected by an OMOV ballot of Welsh party and affiliate members.
Both the incumbents for the two local government positions on the ruling body secured the most support in their contest, with soft-left councillor Alice Perry and LGA Labour leader Nick Forbes each being backed by 71 Labour groups.
Incumbent Diana Holland was by far the most successful candidate in the treasurer contest. The assistant general secretary of Unite, who has held the Labour NEC post for the past ten years, received 242 nominations.
Ballots dispatch begins from October 19th, with voting closing on November 12th at noon. The result will be announced on November 13th. LabourList has put together a complete guide to the Labour NEC elections work.
Below is the full list of candidates who have secured a place on the final ballot for each role.
CLP representative:
AKEHURST Luke
AMIN Bodrul
ANDERSON Dave
BAXTER Johanna
BAYANU Ekua
BEVERLEY Alex
BLACK Ann
BLAKEMORE Matthew
BOLTON Gemma
DAR Yasmine
DENT Fiona
FLINTOFF Crispin
FOY Katherine
GRIFFIN Theresa
HENDERSON Ann
IQBAL Qamer Chaudhry
JACKMAN Jermain
JAMA Nadia
JOHNSTON Mick
JOSAN Gurinder Singh
MAGGS Steve
MAPLE Vince
MCDONALD Mark
MCINNES Liz
MITCHELL Cameron
NOORI Zahida Abbas
PATIL Neeraj
PAUL Terry
PAYNE Michael
PIDCOCK Laura
PRICE Alec
RAHMAN Mish
REID Julie
SHERRIFF Paula
SHUTTLEWORTH Stephanie
SILVERMAN Roger
TATLER Shama
TAYLOR-SPEDDING Carol
VAUGHAN Julian
WHEATLEY Joseph
WISEMAN John
WOOLEY Iram
Local government representative:
BIRD Jo
FORBES Nick
PERRY Alice
WHITE Matt
Treasurer:
BRADNEY Dave
CHAUDRY Jalal
COTTERILL Reg
GILES Esther
HOLLAND Diana
LO Vincent
MORRISON Nicola
REHAL Frances
Youth representative:
LEWIS Kira
MCNEILL Lara
Disabled members representative:
BAKER George
BIRD Geraldine
BROTHERS Emily
CRACKNELL Kelvin
FOWLER Kendrick
KHAN Shebul
LINDARS-HAMMOND George
MORRISON Ellen
OKOKON Liz
PEBERBY Mary
WATTS Kevin
Welsh representative:
ANTONIW Mick
JONES Carwyn


labourlist--2020-09-28--Wes Streeting accuses Chancellor of return to “Thatcher’s sink or swim mentality”

Labour ’ s Wes Streeting has accused Chancellor Rishi Sunak of returning to “ Thatcher ’ s sink or swim mentality ” on jobs after a government minister defended the decision to refuse support to worst-hit sectors such as hospitality .
Reacting to comments by Helen Whately on Sky this morning , the shadow Treasury minister criticised the decision to consign millions of workers “ to the scrap heap ” as otherwise healthy industries have been forced into short-term closures .
Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a new job support scheme last week that would offer support to those who can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only to staff able to work one third of the hours of their normal working hours .
Whately defended the approach taken by the government on Kay Burley ’ s Sky breakfast show today , saying : “ It doesn ’ t make sense to continue supporting jobs where there simply isn ’ t work at the moment.
” She also suggested that the Chancellor ’ s scheme was a move to “ the next phase ” of government support , and argued that the government now should only “ support people where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Whately ’ s appearance , Streeting said : “ We have it in black and white : the government doesn ’ t think it makes sense to support jobs where there isn ’ t work “ at the moment ” .
“ Millions consigned to the scrap heap because the Chancellor wouldn ’ t back jobs that would be viable in the long run with a proper work-sharing scheme that incentivised employers to keep more staff on .
“ We ’ re back to the worst days of Thatcher ’ s sink @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the 1980s , it ’ s people on the lowest incomes in the North and the Midlands who will pay the highest price .
The shine is well and truly coming off Rishi Sunak.
” Under the Chancellor ’ s new scheme , eligible employees – those who work at least one third of their normal hours – will have worked hours paid by their employer and their hours not worked paid jointly by the government and their employer .
For the time that workers are not working , the government will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pay and the employer will pay another third of their usual pay .
Those included in the scheme will be paid 77 % of their usual pay in total .
Shadow Chancellor Anneliese Dodds has criticised the proposed replacement to the furlough scheme , saying it was announced too late .
She questioned whether the new scheme truly incentivises short-hours working .

Labour’s Wes Streeting has accused Chancellor Rishi Sunak of returning to “Thatcher’s sink or swim mentality” on jobs after a government minister defended the decision to refuse support to worst-hit sectors such as hospitality.
Reacting to comments by Helen Whately on Sky this morning, the shadow Treasury minister criticised the decision to consign millions of workers “to the scrap heap” as otherwise healthy industries have been forced into short-term closures.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a new job support scheme last week that would offer support to those who cannot fully return to work, but only to staff able to work one third of the hours of their normal working hours.
Whately defended the approach taken by the government on Kay Burley’s Sky breakfast show today, saying: “It doesn’t make sense to continue supporting jobs where there simply isn’t work at the moment.”
She also suggested that the Chancellor’s scheme was a move to “the next phase” of government support, and argued that the government now should only “support people where they can be working”.
Commenting on Whately’s appearance, Streeting said: “We have it in black and white: the government doesn’t think it makes sense to support jobs where there isn’t work “at the moment”.
“Millions consigned to the scrap heap because the Chancellor wouldn’t back jobs that would be viable in the long run with a proper work-sharing scheme that incentivised employers to keep more staff on.
“We’re back to the worst days of Thatcher’s sink or swim mentality. And just like in the 1980s, it’s people on the lowest incomes in the North and the Midlands who will pay the highest price. The shine is well and truly coming off Rishi Sunak.”
Under the Chancellor’s new scheme, eligible employees – those who work at least one third of their normal hours – will have worked hours paid by their employer and their hours not worked paid jointly by the government and their employer.
For the time that workers are not working, the government will pay a third of workers’ usual pay and the employer will pay another third of their usual pay. Those included in the scheme will be paid 77% of their usual pay in total.
Shadow Chancellor Anneliese Dodds has criticised the proposed replacement to the furlough scheme, saying it was announced too late. She questioned whether the new scheme truly incentivises short-hours working.


labourlist--2020-09-28--The post-16 Covid experience needs our attention. Year 13s are being failed

It ’ s now 22 years since I took my A-Level exams , and yet I still often have nightmares where I miss the exam by going to the wrong room , or have revised for the wrong subject .
During lockdown , I bizarrely started dreaming I had to sit my exams having had no teaching all year .
The fact that these dreams persist more than two decades after I took my A-Levels perhaps suggest that the stress I was under has lodged itself in my psyche , never to leave .
I was very lucky when I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tony Blair ’ s government had not long since came to power .
Like many others in my class , I was the first in my family to apply for university .
The economy was on the up , there was plenty for young people to do socially .
There was optimism in the air .
I can not imagine what it is like for those turning 18 this year .
I struggle to find much cause for optimism about their circumstances or the future that awaits them .
Rightly , the plight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lot of attention .
Having already endured the A-Levels results fiasco in August this year , freshers have found themselves in something resembling a dystopian world where they are trapped in a house with strangers , in a strange place , unable to meet new people other than their housemates , and have no opportunities for face-to-face learning .
But the circumstances of our Year 13s need attention , too .
They are being completely failed by the government .
Having already missed half a year ’ s teaching of a two-year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with no idea as to whether their course will conclude in an exam or whether an algorithm will emerge to determine their fate .
Teachers have no idea what , if anything , will be taken off exams if they do take place , on account of it being impossible to deliver the whole syllabus .
Can you imagine teaching with no idea whether you are teaching the right things , and studying with no idea by what method you will be assessed ?
17- and 18-year-olds are now left trying to decide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with no idea what their grades might look like .
The government has had more than enough time now to provide clarity about what will happen next .
Their silence is inexcusable .
Before the Covid crisis , one in six ( 16.9 % ) 17- to 19-year-olds were found to have a mental disorder .
It seems likely that the stresses of the last seven months will have caused that number to rise and that the situation with school will be adding to that .
Why has this situation been approached with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ affected ?
Why has the government not learnt from the painful experience of last year ’ s results debacle ?
Why , once again , are the voices of teachers and students being ignored ?
Gavin Williamson is fast gathering a reputation for incompetence to envy that of Chris Grayling .
Our young people deserve and need so much better than this , and the long-term impact of a poor experience in post-16 education can not be underestimated .
Young people and schools need clarity and fast .

It’s now 22 years since I took my A-Level exams, and yet I still often have nightmares where I miss the exam by going to the wrong room, or have revised for the wrong subject. During lockdown, I bizarrely started dreaming I had to sit my exams having had no teaching all year. The fact that these dreams persist more than two decades after I took my A-Levels perhaps suggest that the stress I was under has lodged itself in my psyche, never to leave.
I was very lucky when I took my examinations it was 1998. Tony Blair’s government had not long since came to power. Like many others in my class, I was the first in my family to apply for university. The economy was on the up, there was plenty for young people to do socially. There was optimism in the air. I cannot imagine what it is like for those turning 18 this year. I struggle to find much cause for optimism about their circumstances or the future that awaits them.
Rightly, the plight of those already at university is getting a lot of attention. Having already endured the A-Levels results fiasco in August this year, freshers have found themselves in something resembling a dystopian world where they are trapped in a house with strangers, in a strange place, unable to meet new people other than their housemates, and have no opportunities for face-to-face learning.
But the circumstances of our Year 13s need attention, too. They are being completely failed by the government. Having already missed half a year’s teaching of a two-year course, they are back at school with no idea as to whether their course will conclude in an exam or whether an algorithm will emerge to determine their fate. Teachers have no idea what, if anything, will be taken off exams if they do take place, on account of it being impossible to deliver the whole syllabus.
Can you imagine teaching with no idea whether you are teaching the right things, and studying with no idea by what method you will be assessed? 17- and 18-year-olds are now left trying to decide which courses to apply for at university with no idea what their grades might look like.
The government has had more than enough time now to provide clarity about what will happen next. Their silence is inexcusable. Before the Covid crisis, one in six (16.9%) 17- to 19-year-olds were found to have a mental disorder. It seems likely that the stresses of the last seven months will have caused that number to rise and that the situation with school will be adding to that.
Why has this situation been approached with so little care and compassion for those affected? Why has the government not learnt from the painful experience of last year’s results debacle? Why, once again, are the voices of teachers and students being ignored?
Gavin Williamson is fast gathering a reputation for incompetence to envy that of Chris Grayling. Our young people deserve and need so much better than this, and the long-term impact of a poor experience in post-16 education cannot be underestimated. Young people and schools need clarity and fast.


labourlist--2020-09-28--Starmer’s Labour gets boost in the polls as patience with Covid chaos wears thin

New polling released by Opinium over the weekend saw Labour overtake the Tories in voting intention for the first time since Boris Johnson became Prime Minister and the first time since July 2019 .
Margin of error aside , the research suggests that the party can smash the glass ceiling of 40 % .
Of course , when it comes to first-past-the-post election time , it is more about distribution of votes than vote share .
But this is a big boost for Keir Starmer , and a development that will certainly be interpreted by his team as a vindication @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crisis , despite what the Labour leader ’ s Gogglebox critics might say .
And that the high personal ratings secured by Starmer are starting to rub off on Labour as a whole , which is what the polling firm Opinium suggests has happened , will make it easier for the party to attract individual donors .
The aim to do just that via a new ‘ Chair Circle ’ initiative , revealed by Gabriel Pogrund , attracted some criticism over the weekend .
Membership of this group , very similar to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Corbyn , offers wealthy donors the opportunity to join “ invite-only strategy updates ” .
The Times also reported that Starmer is writing personalised letters to lapsed donors in a bid to reduce Labour ’ s reliance on union funding .
Reacting to the ‘ Chair Circle ’ news , the FBU , which re-affiliated after Corbyn ’ s election in 2015 , said the new programme “ walks and talks like cash for access ” and “ has no place in the Labour Party ” .
The CWU similarly remarked : “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ postal workers , not property developers – bus drivers , not billionaires.
” But as well as shifting away from dependence on the unions , the party will be thinking about its expensive and politically difficult legal troubles .
Away from internal party news , Labour has taken a stand on students being forced to self-isolate at university and called for them to be allowed to return home for Christmas .
The party is incredibly reluctant to make calls that diverge from the government ’ s Covid rules , but this one seems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enforce such a restriction ? )
and touches on the importance of family , traditional values , etc .
David Lammy proved himself a valuable asset to the shadow cabinet with an assured performance on Marr , where he had some strong words for the government : “ By Christmas , we ’ ll have had the coronavirus for nine months .
That we couldn ’ t get a test , track and trace system in place by then has got to be described as pathetic.
” We published an excellent comment piece @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Club on how profit has been prioritised above people , with students actively encouraged to move to campus , attend freshers ’ week events and go drinking… before being blamed for outbreaks .
With the i reporting that the roll-out of a Covid-19 vaccine in the UK could be delayed for two years because the government has failed to get to grips with the supply chain requirements , it can come as no surprise that the public ’ s patience is wearing thin and will continue to do so this winter .
Sign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for everything Labour , every weekday morning .

New polling released by Opinium over the weekend saw Labour overtake the Tories in voting intention for the first time since Boris Johnson became Prime Minister and the first time since July 2019. Margin of error aside, the research suggests that the party can smash the glass ceiling of 40%. Of course, when it comes to first-past-the-post election time, it is more about distribution of votes than vote share. But this is a big boost for Keir Starmer, and a development that will certainly be interpreted by his team as a vindication of his approach to opposition during the crisis, despite what the Labour leader’s Gogglebox critics might say. And that the high personal ratings secured by Starmer are starting to rub off on Labour as a whole, which is what the polling firm Opinium suggests has happened, will make it easier for the party to attract individual donors.
The aim to do just that via a new ‘Chair Circle’ initiative, revealed by Gabriel Pogrund, attracted some criticism over the weekend. Membership of this group, very similar to the ‘Rose Network’ promoted under Jeremy Corbyn, offers wealthy donors the opportunity to join “invite-only strategy updates”. The Times also reported that Starmer is writing personalised letters to lapsed donors in a bid to reduce Labour’s reliance on union funding. Reacting to the ‘Chair Circle’ news, the FBU, which re-affiliated after Corbyn’s election in 2015, said the new programme “walks and talks like cash for access” and “has no place in the Labour Party”. The CWU similarly remarked: “The Labour leadership should be meeting with postal workers, not property developers – bus drivers, not billionaires.” But as well as shifting away from dependence on the unions, the party will be thinking about its expensive and politically difficult legal troubles.
Away from internal party news, Labour has taken a stand on students being forced to self-isolate at university and called for them to be allowed to return home for Christmas. The party is incredibly reluctant to make calls that diverge from the government’s Covid rules, but this one seems inevitable (can you imagine trying to enforce such a restriction?) and touches on the importance of family, traditional values, etc. David Lammy proved himself a valuable asset to the shadow cabinet with an assured performance on Marr, where he had some strong words for the government: “By Christmas, we’ll have had the coronavirus for nine months. That we couldn’t get a test, track and trace system in place by then has got to be described as pathetic.” We published an excellent comment piece by the vice-chair of Glasgow University Labour Club on how profit has been prioritised above people, with students actively encouraged to move to campus, attend freshers’ week events and go drinking… before being blamed for outbreaks.
With the i reporting that the roll-out of a Covid-19 vaccine in the UK could be delayed for two years because the government has failed to get to grips with the supply chain requirements, it can come as no surprise that the public’s patience is wearing thin and will continue to do so this winter. Sign up to LabourList’s morning email for everything Labour, every weekday morning.


labourlist--2020-09-28--Labour: Gavin Williamson must “end his ‘Invisible Man’ act” on university chaos

Kate Green has called on the Education Secretary to “ end his ‘ Invisible Man ’ act ” and “ get to grips with the situation ” facing students who have recently returned to universities in the pandemic .
Commenting ahead of a parliamentary statement by Gavin Williamson tomorrow , the Shadow Education Secretary described how the chaos currently unfolding at universities has been met by “ days of silence ” from her Tory counterpart .
Green demanded that Williamson “ put young people and parents ’ minds at rest ” in his Commons contribution , following widespread reports of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campus lockdowns and severe restrictions .
Highlighting the “ anxiety mounting among parents ” , as well as the challenge for students confined to their accommodation , the Labour Party has set out a number of key questions for the Education Secretary to answer : • “ What steps he took over the summer to ensure that students would be able to return to university safely ?
• “ Whether after days of chaos and contradictory statements from Conservative politicians , he can finally guarantee that every student will be able to safely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Christmas after access to testing ?
• “ What urgent steps are now being taken to ensure that every student can receive the best standard of education , whether on campus or at home ?
• “ If he can guarantee that every student who is required to self-isolate will be able to access their education remotely ?
• “ What his message is for parents and those students who have not yet moved to campus ?
• “ What steps are being put in place to support the mental health of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to self-isolate ?
• “ What help will be provided to students unions to allow them to continue to provide pastoral support to students on and off campus ?
” The Shadow Education Secretary said : “ After days of silence , this statement is a chance for the Education Secretary to end his ‘ Invisible Man ’ act and begin to get to grips with the situation .
None of this was unforeseeable .
“ Labour and others have warned that campuses would need access to testing .
But – just as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – the Education Secretary has created chaos through his incompetence and failure to act .
“ Gavin Williamson must set out what he is doing to resolve these problems and put young people and parents ’ minds at rest.
” Despite the disruption seen over the past few days as restrictions have been imposed on students , Williamson has so far not made any public appearance , issued any statement or posted on social media since September 10th .
Shadow Justice Secretary David Lammy used an interview on Sunday to call on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home at Christmas after cabinet ministers offered mixed messages on the issue .
Conservative Party co-chair Amanda Milling claimed on the weekend that there were no plans to keep students at university over Christmas , three days after Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the opposite .
The Shadow Education Secretary urged Williamson over the weekend to delay the start of university terms this year until mass testing is available to all students on campuses .
Labour MP Siobhan McDonagh accused universities on Monday of treating their students like “ cash cows ” , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ refunds for students who now face campus lockdowns .
This latest intervention by Green comes after reports emerged that 1,700 students at Manchester Metropolitan University were banned from leaving their flats , even to get a coronavirus test at a walk-in centre less than a mile away .

Kate Green has called on the Education Secretary to “end his ‘Invisible Man’ act” and “get to grips with the situation” facing students who have recently returned to universities in the pandemic.
Commenting ahead of a parliamentary statement by Gavin Williamson tomorrow, the Shadow Education Secretary said the chaos unfolding at universities had been met by “days of silence” from her Tory counterpart.
Green demanded that Williamson “put young people and parents’ minds at rest” in his Commons contribution, following widespread reports of disruption as thousands of students have seen campus lockdowns and severe restrictions.
Highlighting the “anxiety mounting among parents”, as well as the challenge for students confined to their accommodation, Labour has set out a number of key questions for the Education Secretary to answer:
“What steps he took over the summer to ensure that students would be able to return to university safely?
“Whether after days of chaos and contradictory statements from Conservative politicians, he can finally guarantee that every student will be able to safely return home to be with their families at Christmas after access to testing?
“What urgent steps are now being taken to ensure that every student can receive the best standard of education, whether on campus or at home?
“If he can guarantee that every student who is required to self-isolate will be able to access their education remotely?
“What his message is for parents and those students who have not yet moved to campus?
“What steps are being put in place to support the mental health of students, particularly those who are required to self-isolate?
“What help will be provided to students unions to allow them to continue to provide pastoral support to students on and off campus?”
The Shadow Education Secretary said: “After days of silence, this statement is a chance for the Education Secretary to end his ‘Invisible Man’ act and begin to get to grips with the situation. None of this was unforeseeable.
“Labour and others have warned that campuses would need access to testing. But – just as with the exams fiasco over the summer – the Education Secretary has created chaos through his incompetence and failure to act.
“Gavin Williamson must set out what he is doing to resolve these problems and put young people and parents’ minds at rest.”
Despite the disruption seen over the past few days as restrictions have been imposed on students, Williamson has so far not made any public appearance, issued any statement or posted on social media since September 10th.
Shadow Justice Secretary David Lammy used an interview on Sunday to call on the government to make sure that students could return home at Christmas after cabinet ministers offered mixed messages on the issue.
Conservative Party co-chair Amanda Milling claimed on the weekend that there were no plans to keep students at university over Christmas, three days after Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the opposite.
The Shadow Education Secretary urged Williamson in a letter sent over the weekend to delay the start of some university terms this year until mass testing is available to all students on campuses.
Labour MP Siobhan McDonagh accused universities on Monday of treating their students like “cash cows”, and suggested that the UK should consider refunds for students who now face campus lockdowns.
This latest intervention by Green comes after reports emerged that 1,700 students at Manchester Metropolitan University were banned from leaving their flats, even to get a coronavirus test at a walk-in centre less than a mile away.


labourlist--2020-09-28--Labour calls for “rapid review” into 10pm hospitality curfew

Labour ’ s Jonathan Ashworth has called on the government to carry out a “ rapid review ” into the effectiveness of the 10pm curfew for pubs and restaurants brought in by the government to reduce transmission of Covid-19 .
In a parliamentary debate this afternoon , the Shadow Health Secretary discussed the new measures introduced last week and declared that customers all “ piling out of pubs ” at 10pm does not help “ contain the spread of the virus ” .
Ashworth told the Commons today : “ The most recent ONS surveillance report states that eating out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the two to seven days prior to symptom onset .
“ Hospitality accounts for up to one fifth of Covid transmissions .
We support the restrictions announced last week but many are now questioning how effective they will be in containing the virus .
“ We have seen this weekend pictures of people piling out of pubs at ten o ’ clock on the dot into busy streets , public transport packed , supermarkets busy as people buy more drink .
How does this help contain the spread of the virus ?
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to undertake a rapid and transparent review of all the evidence on the 10pm rule and report back to parliament this week ?
” The curfew for hospitality venues has been widely criticised as crowds of people have been recorded and pictured gathering in city centres and entering public transport , with long queues forming outside off-licences , after 10pm .
The government also saw pressure from within its own party today , as much of the debate focused on an amendment to the Coronavirus Act tabled by Conservative backbencher Graham Brady to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Brady amendment has been backed by 52 Tory MPs , enough to defeat the government , plus Labour backbencher John Spellar , who has urged the government to reduce restrictions so that the country can “ learn to live with ” coronavirus .
Commenting on the amendment , Spellar told MPs this afternoon : “ At present , it ’ s not only that we don ’ t have parliamentary government , we don ’ t seem to have cabinet government either .
Even COBRA is meeting intermittently .
“ Policy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ small clique , which seems to comprise the Health Secretary , the Minister for the Cabinet Office… with substantial input from Dominic Cummings and some involvement of a debilitated and marginalised Prime Minister .
“ It ’ s not good constitutional theory and it ’ s not working in practice , and that ’ s why parliament needs to take back control.
” Shadow Culture Secretary Jo Stevens said on Sunday that Labour was supportive of the Brady amendment , saying “ the likelihood is that we would back it ” if selected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Coronavirus Act was introduced by MPs in March to grant government ministers powers to respond to the pandemic for a period of six months .
MPs will on Wednesday debate whether the provisions in the legislation should be renewed .
Boris Johnson has announced several new measures over the past two weeks , including the ‘ rule of six ’ and the curfew .
Labour leader Keir Starmer has called out the restrictions as “ necessary ” but “ not inevitable ” .
The number of coronavirus cases has seen a significant rise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with some experts estimating this month that the ‘ R rate ’ of the virus could be as high as 1.7 .

Labour’s Jonathan Ashworth has called on the government to carry out a “rapid review” into the effectiveness of the 10pm curfew for pubs and restaurants brought in by the government to reduce transmission of Covid-19.
In a parliamentary debate this afternoon, the Shadow Health Secretary discussed the new measures introduced last week and declared that customers all “piling out of pubs” at 10pm does not help “contain the spread of the virus”.
Ashworth told the Commons today: “The most recent ONS surveillance report states that eating out was the most commonly reported activity in the two to seven days prior to symptom onset.
“Hospitality accounts for up to one fifth of Covid transmissions. We support the restrictions announced last week but many are now questioning how effective they will be in containing the virus.
“We have seen this weekend pictures of people piling out of pubs at ten o’clock on the dot into busy streets, public transport packed, supermarkets busy as people buy more drink. How does this help contain the spread of the virus?
“Can I ask the Secretary of State to undertake a rapid and transparent review of all the evidence on the 10pm rule and report back to parliament this week?”
The curfew for hospitality venues has been widely criticised as crowds of people have been recorded and pictured gathering in city centres and entering public transport, with long queues forming outside off-licences, after 10pm.
The government also saw pressure from within its own party today, as much of the debate focused on an amendment to the Coronavirus Act tabled by Tory backbencher Graham Brady that would force parliamentary votes on future restrictions.
The Brady amendment has been backed by 52 Tory MPs, enough to defeat the government, plus Labour backbencher John Spellar, who has urged a reduction in restrictions so that the country can “learn to live with” coronavirus.
Commenting on the amendment, Spellar told MPs this afternoon: “At present, it’s not only that we don’t have parliamentary government, we don’t seem to have cabinet government either. Even COBRA is meeting intermittently.
“Policy seems to be being made by a small clique, which seems to comprise the Health Secretary, the Minister for the Cabinet Office… with substantial input from Dominic Cummings and some involvement of a debilitated and marginalised Prime Minister.
“It’s not good constitutional theory and it’s not working in practice, and that’s why parliament needs to take back control.”
Shadow Culture Secretary Jo Stevens said on Sunday that Labour was supportive of the Brady amendment, adding that “the likelihood is that we would back it” if selected for debate by the Speaker.
The Coronavirus Act was introduced by MPs in March to grant government ministers powers to respond to the pandemic for a period of six months. MPs will on Wednesday debate whether the provisions in the legislation should be renewed.
Boris Johnson has announced several new measures over the past two weeks, including the ‘rule of six’ and the curfew. Labour leader Keir Starmer has called out the restrictions as “necessary” but “not inevitable”.
The number of coronavirus cases has seen a significant rise across the UK in recent weeks, with some experts estimating this month that the ‘R rate’ of the virus could be as high as 1.7.


labourlist--2020-09-28--Christina McAnea ahead as nominations close in UNISON general secretary race

UNISON ’ s Christina McAnea has received almost twice the branch nominations of the next closest candidate in the race to succeed retiring Dave Prentis as the party-affiliated trade union ’ s general secretary .
McAnea , understood to have the support of the current union leadership , secured 212 branches ahead of nominations closing on Friday .
Four candidates passed the 25 nominations threshold needed to reach the ballot .
At the close of nominations , the final counts for the candidates still in the general secretary race were as follows : The nominations process saw a significant rise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UNISON ’ s 834 participating branches nominating a candidate compared to just 373 branches casting nominations in the last general secretary election .
McAnea said : “ I am honoured that the national executive council , the majority of service groups and regions , and members in branches across our union , in every type of workplace and in every part of England , Scotland , Cymru/Wales and Northern Ireland have nominated me .
“ Every nomination matters to me , just as every vote matters .
I will be continuing to work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up until the ballot closes.
” Of the four candidates in the running , Glasgow-born McAnea is seen as the candidate most closely aligned to the current leadership , whilst McKenzie , Holmes and Pierre have positioned themselves further to the union ’ s left .
Several sources have told LabourList that Pierre only managed to reach the ballot after receiving tactical nominations from several McAnea-supporting branches seeking to split the union ’ s left-wing vote .
Supporters of McAnea ’ s campaign have dismissed the claims as “ conspiracy theory nonsense ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be UNISON ’ s general secretary would have nominated her .
Pierre , who is being supported by the Socialist Party , has since written to the two other opponents of McAnea offering to stand down if a single left-wing candidate can be agreed upon .
McAnea narrowly won the backing of UNISON ’ s national executive council earlier this month , securing 29 votes on the union ’ s governing body compared to 26 for her closest challenger Paul Holmes .
Reacting to the close of nominations , Holmes said : “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public provision in the Covid-19 crisis .
The health workers have seen how much the government appreciates them by clapping them and not paying them .
“ This union needs to go onto the front foot and lead the fight .
Our campaign will continue to be open , transparent and enthusiastic .
There will be no deals ‘ behind closed doors ’ .
Be in no doubt , though , our campaign can win this election.
” Alongside the union ’ s local branches , the nomination process also included regional councils @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the different UK regions and industries in the union .
McAnea , who is currently working as an assistant general secretary in UNISON , was backed by five of the union ’ s service groups as well as nine of its regions , including her native Scotland .
Holmes won the support of the largest service group and region , as he received backing from the local government service group and North West region .
He was also endorsed by the South East region .
McKenzie , also a serving UNISON assistant general @ @ @ @ @ @ @ water , environment and transport service group , as well as the West Midlands region .
On the nomination results , McKenzie said : “ I am beyond grateful to have so much support from branches alongside thousands of members signing up to my campaign to build a stronger , fighting , winning union… A union is nothing without active members shaping its future.
” McKenzie has suggested that UNISON should hold a live-streamed national hustings to increase engagement in the general secretary election and give members a chance to hear from all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Several prominent Labour politicians have endorsed candidates in the election , with former leader Jeremy Corbyn supporting McKenzie and former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell backing Holmes .
Outgoing general secretary Prentis has been in the role for 20 years but announced his retirement in July .
He has been very supportive of Keir Starmer ’ s as Labour leader after endorsing him in the party leadership election .
UNISON members will vote on their preferred candidate to replace Prentis from October 28th to November 27th , with the results set to be announced @ @ @ @ @ @

UNISON’s Christina McAnea has received almost twice the branch nominations of the next closest candidate in the race to succeed retiring Dave Prentis as the party-affiliated trade union’s general secretary.
McAnea, understood to have the support of the current union leadership, secured 212 branches ahead of nominations closing on Friday. Four candidates passed the 25 nominations threshold needed to reach the ballot.
At the close of nominations, the final counts for the candidates still in the general secretary race were as follows:
Christina McAnea – 212 branches, nine regions, five service groups
– 212 branches, nine regions, five service groups Roger McKenzie – 113 branches, one region, one service group
– 113 branches, one region, one service group Paul Holmes – 102 branches, two regions, one service group
– 102 branches, two regions, one service group Hugo Pierre – 31 branches
The nominations process saw a significant rise in branch turnout, with 458 of UNISON’s 834 participating branches nominating a candidate compared to just 373 branches casting nominations in the last general secretary election.
McAnea said: “I am honoured that the national executive council, the majority of service groups and regions, and members in branches across our union, in every type of workplace and in every part of England, Scotland, Cymru/Wales and Northern Ireland have nominated me.
“Every nomination matters to me, just as every vote matters. I will be continuing to work hard to earn every single one right up until the ballot closes.”
Of the four candidates in the running, Glasgow-born McAnea is seen as the candidate most closely aligned to the current leadership, whilst McKenzie, Holmes and Pierre have positioned themselves further to the union’s left.
Several sources have told LabourList that Pierre only managed to reach the ballot after receiving tactical nominations from several McAnea-supporting branches seeking to split the union’s left-wing vote.
Supporters of McAnea’s campaign have dismissed the claims as “conspiracy theory nonsense” and said that branches wanting McAnea to be UNISON’s general secretary would have nominated her.
Pierre, who is being supported by the Socialist Party, has since written to the two other opponents of McAnea offering to stand down if a single left-wing candidate can be agreed upon.
McAnea narrowly won the backing of UNISON’s national executive council earlier this month, securing 29 votes on the union’s governing body compared to 26 for her closest challenger Paul Holmes.
Reacting to the close of nominations, Holmes said: “We have seen how the Tories hate public provision in the Covid-19 crisis. The health workers have seen how much the government appreciates them by clapping them and not paying them.
“This union needs to go onto the front foot and lead the fight. Our campaign will continue to be open, transparent and enthusiastic. There will be no deals ‘behind closed doors’. Be in no doubt, though, our campaign can win this election.”
Alongside the union’s local branches, the nomination process also included regional councils and service groups – bodies that represent the different UK regions and industries in the union.
McAnea, who is currently working as an assistant general secretary in UNISON, was backed by five of the union’s service groups as well as nine of its regions, including her native Scotland.
Holmes won the support of the largest service group and region, as he received backing from the local government service group and North West region. He was also endorsed by the South East region.
McKenzie, also a serving UNISON assistant general secretary, received the backing of the water, environment and transport service group, as well as the West Midlands region.
On the nomination results, McKenzie said: “I am beyond grateful to have so much support from branches alongside thousands of members signing up to my campaign to build a stronger, fighting, winning union… A union is nothing without active members shaping its future.”
McKenzie has suggested that UNISON should hold a live-streamed national hustings to increase engagement in the general secretary election and give members a chance to hear from all the candidates seeking to succeed Prentis.
Several prominent Labour politicians have endorsed candidates in the election, with former leader Jeremy Corbyn supporting McKenzie and former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell backing Holmes.
Outgoing general secretary Prentis has been in the role for 20 years but announced his retirement in July. He has been very supportive of Keir Starmer’s as Labour leader after endorsing him in the party leadership election.
UNISON members will vote on their preferred candidate to replace Prentis from October 28th to November 27th, with the results set to be announced on January 11th, 2021.


labourlist--2020-09-28--Exclusive: Tory assurances on internal market bill “laughable”, says Welsh minister

The Welsh government ’ s counsel general and Brexit minister has described as “ laughable ” any assurances from UK government ministers that the controversial internal market bill would result in more funding for Wales .
In an interview with LabourList , Jeremy Miles discussed the proposed legislation currently progressing through the UK parliament , which would centralise currently devolved powers to the government in Westminster .
The Welsh Labour minister highlighted that while claims have been made about greater levels of funding for Wales , the UK government is also legislating to break an existing agreement with the EU @ @ @ @ @ @ @ international law .
The European Commission ’ s Maros Sefcovic has warned that the plans put forward by the UK Conservative government are “ far apart ” from what the EU can accept , but Michael Gove has today refused to remove them .
The legislation passed its second reading earlier this month .
The final stages of the bill are not expected to be completed until December , with MPs likely to have a final vote just days before the transition period ends .
UK ministers have been making their case for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ give way to more spending in Wales after the Brexit transition period ends on areas including infrastructure and culture for the first time since devolution .
Responding to the argument , Miles told LabourList : “ The government is also legislating to break an agreement in this bill , so the notion that any government can lend any credence to the UK government ’ s word in relation to things like that is laughable… “ If the government wants to ensure that further money is coming to Wales , it can make a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bill .
It hasn ’ t done that.
” The counsel general for the Welsh government went on to explain that areas for which the UK government is already responsible – such as energy , railway and digital infrastructure – are currently “ massively underfunded ” .
Miles summed up Welsh Labour ’ s position by saying : “ They are looking for a range of new spending powers in devolved areas while failing to meet their responsibilities to people in Wales in relation to their existing responsibilities.
” On the bill put @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sets out trade arrangements across the UK after the transition period comes to an end , Miles said the Welsh government does “ believe in the idea of an internal market ” .
But he added : “ This bill is absolutely not how to go about it , and it ’ s not remotely necessary to deliver a well-functioning internal market .
We ’ ve put forward a set of constructive alternative proposals , which we think are workable.
” The bill includes plans for a “ mutual recognition regime ” after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would require regulatory standards in one area of the union to be automatically accepted in others .
The Welsh minister highlighted a number of problems with the bill : “ First , the Tories are saying this bill is giving the devolved nation 77 new powers .
That ’ s absolutely not true .
The bill does not do that.
” Miles said the powers of the devolved governments would “ extend to some extent following the end of the transition period ” – but this would be due to the existing devolution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new bill .
The Welsh parliament in Cardiff currently has devolved control to legislate on areas such as environmental standards , food regulations and animal welfare , and Miles protested that this bill would stop it exercising those powers .
He explained that the legislation could stop the devolved Welsh Labour administration from banning single-use plastics , continuing to prevent “ hormone-injected beef ” being sold in supermarkets , or introducing landlord licensing .
Asked about the talks he has had with the UK Labour leadership over the bill , Miles explained : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discussions with the Labour frontbench in parliament – with Keir [ Starmer ] , with Ed [ Miliband ] and with Rachel [ Reeves ] .
” The Welsh minister added that he was pleased to see the UK Labour Party oppose the bill in parliament , as the legislation seeks to centralise powers on devolved policy areas in Wales to UK ministers in Westminster .
Miles told LabourList : “ There ’ s a good relationship between the frontbench in parliament and Welsh Labour in the Senedd .
There ’ s good @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s a good working relationship.
” Asked whether communication with the UK Labour leadership had improved since Starmer took over , he said : “ Speaking personally , I have had more discussions under the new leadership than the previous leadership .
And I welcome that.
” He argued that Welsh residents had repeatedly voted for more powers to be devolved to the Senedd in recent years , adding : “ There is now recognition of that in the leadership of the Labour Party , and I absolutely welcome that.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he argued that the UK leader is applying “ the Tories the standards they ’ ve applied to themselves ” and described his line on the negotiations and Brexit as “ absolutely right ” .
Labour leader Starmer has repeatedly urged Johnson to secure a Brexit deal .
He told Sky News earlier this month : “ Let ’ s get the deal , let ’ s move on and focus on the job at hand , which is dealing with this pandemic.
” The Conservative UK government has asked the Senedd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the internal market bill , which has been proposed by UK ministers as a ‘ protected enactment ’ .
A protected enactment is when the law can not be amended by primary or secondary legislation by the devolved legislatures , on devolved policy areas , or by the UK government via secondary legislation .
The UK government also asked the devolved nations for their consent to the EU Withdrawal Act .
But the Welsh , Scottish and Northern Irish assemblies all made clear their opposition to the Brexit bill – yet it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ruled in 2017 that the Sewel Convention , which states Westminster will “ not normally legislate with regard to devolved matters without the consent ” of devolved legislatures , did not mean they could block its passage .
Jeremy Miles told LabourList that the internal market bill is therefore “ locking in constitutional change ” by being afforded the ‘ protected enactment ’ status , and that this is usually only applied to legislation on constitutional issues .
Miles said the Welsh Labour government will not be recommending that the Senedd give its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not see the parliament doing so .
In normal circumstances , this would mean that the UK would not proceed with the bill .
But as evidenced by the EU Withdrawal Act , this is not always the case .
The UK government declared in that instance that it was a “ unique ” situation , however , and Miles argued : “ It would struggle to justify proceeding again.
” On devolution and the Labour Party , the Welsh Labour minister said it was very clear that the new UK Labour leader @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is changing , and that we need to recognise that in our policy making across the UK ” .
Miles described ‘ radical federalism ’ , which Starmer advocated in his leadership campaign , as building on the ‘ four-nation government ’ seen during the Covid crisis and putting intergovernmental relations on a “ much more stable footing ” .
The Welsh minister explained : “ Whether that ’ s to do with powers , whether it ’ s to do with a fairer funding settlement , it ’ s just to recognise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of those arrangements across the UK.
” Asked whether the government ’ s proposed bill had boosted support for Welsh independence , Miles replied that , although it is being talked about more , “ that ’ s different from it being people ’ s political position and preference.
” He said Welsh Labour had led the debate on devolution , calling for a settlement that has “ more powers devolved but equally puts UK government generally on a different footing ” .
He described the current arrangement as “ absolutely not fit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ review currently being undertaken on intergovernmental relations in the UK .
Miles told LabourList that “ modest progress ” is being made , but said that the internal market bill represents a “ new low ” in the relationship .
He argued that developments with the internal market bill had been “ corrosive of relations within the UK ” , and described how the relationship between Westminster and Cardiff had deteriorated further under Boris Johnson ’ s premiership .
Mark Drakeford earlier this month said the internal markets bill represents a “ smash @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as it would take back powers that have been devolved to Wales , Northern Ireland and Scotland for 20 years .
The Welsh Labour leader and First Minister described the bill put forward by the UK government as an “ enormous power grab ” and warned that the measures included will “ put enormous strains into the union that is the UK ” .
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon criticised the plans as a “ full frontal assault on devolution ” and argued that the campaign for independence is now about stopping the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its powers eroded ” .

The Welsh government’s counsel general and Brexit minister has described as “laughable” any assurances from UK government ministers that the controversial internal market bill would result in more funding for Wales.
In an interview with LabourList, Jeremy Miles discussed the proposed legislation currently progressing through the UK parliament, which would centralise currently devolved powers to the government in Westminster.
The Welsh Labour minister highlighted that while claims have been made about greater levels of funding for Wales, the UK government is also legislating to break an existing agreement with the EU in the same bill – and breaking international law.
The European Commission’s Maros Sefcovic has warned that the plans put forward by the UK Conservative government are “far apart” from what the EU can accept, but Michael Gove has today refused to remove them.
The legislation passed its second reading earlier this month. The final stages of the bill are not expected to be completed until December, with MPs likely to have a final vote just days before the transition period ends.
UK ministers have been making their case for the bill by claiming that it would give way to more spending in Wales after the Brexit transition period ends on areas including infrastructure and culture for the first time since devolution.
Responding to the argument, Miles told LabourList: “The government is also legislating to break an agreement in this bill, so the notion that any government can lend any credence to the UK government’s word in relation to things like that is laughable…
“If the government wants to ensure that further money is coming to Wales, it can make a further commitment on the face of the bill. It hasn’t done that.”
The counsel general for the Welsh government went on to explain that areas for which the UK government is already responsible – such as energy, railway and digital infrastructure – are currently “massively underfunded”.
Miles summed up Welsh Labour’s position by saying: “They are looking for a range of new spending powers in devolved areas while failing to meet their responsibilities to people in Wales in relation to their existing responsibilities.”
On the bill put forward by the UK government, which sets out trade arrangements across the UK after the transition period comes to an end, Miles said the Welsh government does “believe in the idea of an internal market”.
But he added: “This bill is absolutely not how to go about it, and it’s not remotely necessary to deliver a well-functioning internal market. We’ve put forward a set of constructive alternative proposals, which we think are workable.”
The bill includes plans for a “mutual recognition regime” after the UK leaves the EU, which would require regulatory standards in one area of the union to be automatically accepted in others.
The Welsh minister highlighted a number of problems with the bill: “First, the Tories are saying this bill is giving the devolved nation 77 new powers. That’s absolutely not true. The bill does not do that.”
Miles said the powers of the devolved governments would “extend to some extent following the end of the transition period” – but this would be due to the existing devolution settlement, not provisions contained in the new bill.
The Welsh parliament in Cardiff currently has devolved control to legislate on areas such as environmental standards, food regulations and animal welfare, and Miles protested that this bill would stop it exercising those powers.
He explained that the legislation could stop the devolved Welsh Labour administration from banning single-use plastics, continuing to prevent “hormone-injected beef” being sold in supermarkets, or introducing landlord licensing.
Asked about the talks he has had with the UK Labour leadership over the bill, Miles explained: “We’ve had very good discussions with the Labour frontbench in parliament – with Keir [Starmer], with Ed [Miliband] and with Rachel [Reeves].”
The Welsh minister added that he was pleased to see the UK Labour Party oppose the bill in parliament, as the legislation seeks to centralise powers on devolved policy areas in Wales to UK ministers in Westminster.
Miles told LabourList: “There’s a good relationship between the frontbench in parliament and Welsh Labour in the Senedd. There’s good communication, a meeting of minds. It’s a good working relationship.”
Asked whether communication with the UK Labour leadership had improved since Starmer took over, he said: “Speaking personally, I have had more discussions under the new leadership than the previous leadership. And I welcome that.”
He argued that Welsh residents had repeatedly voted for more powers to be devolved to the Senedd in recent years, adding: “There is now recognition of that in the leadership of the Labour Party, and I absolutely welcome that.”
On Starmer’s approach to Brexit, he argued that the UK leader is applying “the Tories the standards they’ve applied to themselves” and described his line on the negotiations and Brexit as “absolutely right”.
Labour leader Starmer has repeatedly urged Johnson to secure a Brexit deal. He told Sky News earlier this month: “Let’s get the deal, let’s move on and focus on the job at hand, which is dealing with this pandemic.”
The Conservative UK government has asked the Senedd to give its consent to the entirety of the internal market bill, which has been proposed by UK ministers as a ‘protected enactment’.
A protected enactment is when the law cannot be amended by primary or secondary legislation by the devolved legislatures, on devolved policy areas, or by the UK government via secondary legislation.
The UK government also asked the devolved nations for their consent to the EU Withdrawal Act. But the Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish assemblies all made clear their opposition to the Brexit bill – yet it went through regardless.
The Supreme Court ruled in 2017 that the Sewel Convention, which states Westminster will “not normally legislate with regard to devolved matters without the consent” of devolved legislatures, did not mean they could block its passage.
Jeremy Miles told LabourList that the internal market bill is therefore “locking in constitutional change” by being afforded the ‘protected enactment’ status, and that this is usually only applied to legislation on constitutional issues.
Miles said the Welsh Labour government will not be recommending that the Senedd give its consent, and explained that he could not see the parliament doing so. In normal circumstances, this would mean that the UK would not proceed with the bill.
But as evidenced by the EU Withdrawal Act, this is not always the case. The UK government declared in that instance that it was a “unique” situation, however, and Miles argued: “It would struggle to justify proceeding again.”
On devolution and the Labour Party, the Welsh Labour minister said it was very clear that the new UK Labour leader “grasped the fact that the UK is changing, and that we need to recognise that in our policy making across the UK”.
Miles described ‘radical federalism’, which Starmer advocated in his leadership campaign, as building on the ‘four-nation government’ seen during the Covid crisis and putting intergovernmental relations on a “much more stable footing”.
The Welsh minister explained: “Whether that’s to do with powers, whether it’s to do with a fairer funding settlement, it’s just to recognise that there needs to be an overhaul of those arrangements across the UK.”
Asked whether the government’s proposed bill had boosted support for Welsh independence, Miles replied that, although it is being talked about more, “that’s different from it being people’s political position and preference.”
He said Welsh Labour had led the debate on devolution, calling for a settlement that has “more powers devolved but equally puts UK government generally on a different footing”. He described the current arrangement as “absolutely not fit for purpose”.
There is a review currently being undertaken on intergovernmental relations in the UK. Miles told LabourList that “modest progress” is being made, but said that the internal market bill represents a “new low” in the relationship.
He argued that developments with the internal market bill had been “corrosive of relations within the UK”, and described how the relationship between Westminster and Cardiff had deteriorated further under Boris Johnson’s premiership.
Mark Drakeford earlier this month said the internal markets bill represents a “smash and grab” on the devolution settlement as it would take back powers that have been devolved to Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland for 20 years.
The Welsh Labour leader and First Minister described the bill put forward by the UK government as an “enormous power grab” and warned that the measures included will “put enormous strains into the union that is the UK”.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon criticised the plans as a “full frontal assault on devolution” and argued that the campaign for independence is now about stopping the “Scottish parliament from being undermined and its powers eroded”.


labourlist--2020-09-28--Claudia Webbe charged with harassment and suspended from Labour

The Crown Prosecution Service has revealed this afternoon that Leicester East Labour MP Claudia Webbe , elected to parliament for the first time last year , has been charged with harassment against one female .
Update , 5.15pm : Asked for comment on Webbe being charged with harassment , a Labour Party spokesperson said : “ It would not be appropriate to comment on an ongoing case.
” LabourList understands that Webbe has been suspended from the Labour Party – and therefore had the Labour whip suspended – pending the outcome of the case .
Accused of harassing the woman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ April 26th , 2020 , while representing Leicester East in the House of Commons , Webbe is expected to appear at Westminster Magistrates ’ Court on November 11th .
The decision to charge the MP was made following an investigation by the Metropolitan police .
In a statement , Jenny Hopkins of the CPS said : “ The CPS has today decided that Claudia Webbe , MP for Leicester East , should be charged with an offence of harassment against one female .
“ The CPS made the decision after receiving a file @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Criminal proceedings against Ms Webbe are now active and she has the right to a fair trial .
“ It is extremely important that there should be no reporting , commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.
” In her own statement , Webbe said : “ I am innocent of any wrongdoing and look forward to proving this in court .
I will be vigorously defending myself against these claims.
” Webbe was chosen in November last year as Labour ’ s next candidate for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had represented the constituency since 1987 , announced his retirement .
He is understood to be still involved in the local party .
Vaz was found to have “ expressed willingness ” to buy cocaine for others and issued with a six-month suspension from parliament .
His decision to retire saved Labour ’ s ruling body from having to decide on whether to endorse him .
There was no hustings or vote by local party members for the selection of Webbe , as with all last-minute selection contests in 2019 .
The candidate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including two national executive committee ( NEC ) representatives .
It was alleged by one applicant for the seat – Sundip Meghani , who has since quit the party – that the NEC did not interview other hopefuls seeking to replace Vaz .
Webbe was herself a Labour NEC member before becoming an MP .
At the time of her selection , Webbe told LabourList : “ I am proud to be born and bred in Leicester , and that ’ s why I am honoured to have the opportunity to represent the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still live , and to make a positive impact on the lives of local people .
”

The Crown Prosecution Service has revealed this afternoon that Leicester East Labour MP Claudia Webbe, elected to parliament for the first time last year, has been charged with harassment against one female.
Update, 5.15pm: Asked for comment on Webbe being charged with harassment, a Labour Party spokesperson said: “It would not be appropriate to comment on an ongoing case.”
LabourList understands that Webbe has been suspended from the Labour Party – and therefore had the Labour whip suspended – pending the outcome of the case.
Accused of harassing the woman between September 1st, 2018, and April 26th, 2020, while representing Leicester East in the House of Commons, Webbe is expected to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on November 11th.
The decision to charge the MP was made following an investigation by the Metropolitan police. In a statement, Jenny Hopkins of the CPS said: “The CPS has today decided that Claudia Webbe, MP for Leicester East, should be charged with an offence of harassment against one female.
“The CPS made the decision after receiving a file of evidence from the Metropolitan Police. Criminal proceedings against Ms Webbe are now active and she has the right to a fair trial.
“It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”
In her own statement, Webbe said: “I am innocent of any wrongdoing and look forward to proving this in court. I will be vigorously defending myself against these claims.”
Webbe was chosen in November last year as Labour’s next candidate for Leicester East after Keith Vaz, who had represented the constituency since 1987, announced his retirement. He is understood to be still involved in the local party.
Vaz was found to have “expressed willingness” to buy cocaine for others and issued with a six-month suspension from parliament. His decision to retire saved Labour’s ruling body from having to decide on whether to endorse him.
There was no hustings or vote by local party members for the selection of Webbe, as with all last-minute selection contests in 2019. The candidate was instead picked by a selection panel including two national executive committee (NEC) representatives.
It was alleged by one applicant for the seat – Sundip Meghani, who has since quit the party – that the NEC did not interview other hopefuls seeking to replace Vaz. Webbe was herself a Labour NEC member before becoming an MP.
At the time of her selection, Webbe told LabourList: “I am proud to be born and bred in Leicester, and that’s why I am honoured to have the opportunity to represent the Leicester East community, where my family still live, and to make a positive impact on the lives of local people.”


labourlist--2020-09-28--The plans of Labour Party Graphic Designers in the run-up to Christmas

Kevin Kennedy Ryan , founder of Labour Party Graphic Designers ( LPGD ) , recently launched a fundraiser with the admirable aim of building an online Labour Party archive .
LabourList was too late to help with reaching the £500 goal , as the funds were secured in less than 24 hours , but we thought this would be a good moment for our editor Sienna Rodgers to catch up with Kevin… Sienna : You ’ re the founder of Labour Party Graphic Designers , which we interviewed you about in April 2019 .
What has your collective of artists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Kevin : We ’ ve released eight art packs to date , on everything from the climate emergency to the local elections .
We did several key workers ones when the pandemic first hit .
And then during the local elections and the general election in 2019 , one of the big functions we were fulfilling was matching up candidates and campaigns with designers who were willing to volunteer their time .
Between the two of those , we matched up dozens of candidates with designers .
That ’ s great .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ local elections in May 2021 too ?
I think that ’ s something we ’ re going to look at doing again .
We try to link up candidates with people who are , if not local , at least in their region .
One of the things we ’ re hoping to do further down the line is strengthen ties with the regional parties , and have regional hubs of designers .
But that ’ s a bit of the way out right now .
Have you been in touch with regional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ party approached us about it , then hasn ’ t really followed up with us since the initial conversation , so we ’ re waiting to hear back on that .
I think everyone online has really enjoyed your art packs .
Which one were you most proud of ?
I think the first key workers one , mostly because it had a quick response .
Before we ’ d always done them with a long lead time of sometimes three months , whereas this one we launched it in two weeks .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and in terms of the quality it was one of the best .
How big is your collective of designers now ?
It ’ s like layers of an onion .
There ’ s four or five of us who are core and keep everything ticking over .
Then there ’ s the more organised periphery of that , which is about 20 people in the group chat .
Then there ’ s the group of people who only submit to art packs every once in a while , and I think we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who ’ ve been involved in that .
I wanted to ask you about the Labour Party ’ s own output , too .
The party graphics sometimes attract quite a lot of criticism on Twitter .
What do you think needs to change about the party ’ s approach ?
There ’ s a few parts to it .
One is process-driven .
The quality of stuff that was going out in the 2019 election was a lot better than what has been going out recently .
It ’ s still the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but people are working from home , they ’ re not in an office together .
I think one of the things they really need to look at is the sign-off process , more than anything else .
I also think the party can sometimes use brand guidelines as too much of a crutch , rather than a source of inspiration to jump off from .
That ’ s really stifled pushing out anything that is too creative or imaginative .
I think social media hasn ’ t helped with that – you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in five minutes , if it ’ s a PMQs response or something .
But there ’ s definitely more space for imagination .
My understanding is that the leader ’ s office is conducting a ( not particularly formal ) review of digital stuff in the Labour Party at the moment because they ’ re not sure who is responsible for what and it is all quite fragmented .
I think that ’ s quite accurate , especially who signs off , who briefs , where does autonomy lie and where does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , whether it ’ s academia or the health service or a political party , you ’ re going to get that disconnect in various ways .
If they can improve it , that ’ s a hell of a place to start .
I ’ ve now lobbied the new leader ’ s office about getting a new Labour logo .
I ’ ve found it ’ s really difficult to work with that cut-out rose to make other graphics .
Does that call have the support of LPGD ?
It thoroughly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The logo that we ’ ve got was a temporary logo created for the 2010 Gordon Brown election , and it was never intended to still be in use a decade later .
It ’ s difficult to work with , and it ’ s not particularly imaginative .
No-one in the party likes it either .
It would be great [ to get a new logo ] , but we get tagged a lot on social media being like : ‘ Oh , let ’ s do an art pack on rebranding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ .
It ’ s important to know that it is a process with a lot of integrity that has to happen in order to do the branding exercise and come out with a visual identity that reflects the party ’ s values and appeals to an audience .
That ’ s not the kind of thing that a bunch of dorks on Twitter can do .
Turning to your latest project : you launched a fundraiser to buy up and bring over some rare Labour materials .
I noticed that you reached @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Talk me through how you came across these items in San Francisco , and what you ’ re planning to do with them .
One of the things we ’ re working on at the moment , which we ’ re hoping to launch in correlation with the next art pack , is redoing the [ LGPD ] website .
There is a really talented guy called James Calmus , who has been working on that .
Oh , really ?
Link me up with him !
[ Full disclosure : James is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the functions of putting up the materials is it ’ s sort of a Pinterest-style repository – Labour Party posters , buttons , flyers , etc , from over the years .
We ’ re going to be launching that hopefully at around the end of October .
At the moment we ’ ve got an archive of about 600 posters , which will be going live on there .
The hope is that it can serve as both a historical archive but also a good jump-off point for any time that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I need to get a logo ’ for a council candidate or university Labour society .
They can sit down and look at a bit of inspiration , and see this is what a good Labour poster looks like .
We ’ ve spent a lot of time trawling the internet , looking at loads of weird and wonderful posters from across the years .
We stumbled on this bookshop in San Francisco , which had quite a comprehensive collection of old rare pamphlets from the party .
We ’ ve got a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tides of History , so we asked whether they ’ d seen these and most of them they hadn ’ t .
We thought , oh we should try to get them over .
Anthony from Tides of History suggested doing a fundraiser .
So we set it up , hit 50 % in the first six hours and within 24 hours hit the total .
Our main intention with it is to get them shipped over , digitise them , make them online .
For historiography , but also there are some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We ’ ll get those included in the archive , and then our hope is to donate the physical copies – once we ’ ve digitised them – to the People ’ s History Museum , or maybe the TUC library .
That ’ s going to be incredible .
You ’ ll have this big catalogue online , and people will be able to search by year , artist , theme , that kind of thing ?
Yeah , absolutely .
We ’ ve spent quite a lot of time over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hundreds of pictures with tags , so it ’ ll be very easily searchable .
When you were looking through these old posters , badges , etc , were there any new favourites that you gained in that process ?
One of the striking things was the Labour Party programmes from the 1930s , particularly from local elections and for local government .
There was a huge emphasis on municipal socialism and for a couple of years they went for the title ‘ Socialism in Action ’ as a header .
I think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with which we may have lost our way a bit , showing how councils can creatively transform our cities for the better , and we ’ ve been bogged down with administration .
There ’ s a level of aspiration in a lot of them that I think we ’ ve lost .
You reached your £500 fundraising goal really quickly .
Are you going to fundraise for something else next ?
Yes , but only with purpose .
I don ’ t want to sit there with an unaccountable pot of money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it .
But we ’ ve got a few irons in the fire .
Obviously the repository online is going to be a work in progress , and hopefully that will continue and expand over the years to become more comprehensive .
It ’ s particularly more modern stuff that is lacking , actually , anything from mid-90s through to 2010 there ’ s a bit of a black hole .
And there ’ s something else coming up that is not public yet .
Are there other upcoming projects you can tell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be naked with Labour roses placed in appropriate areas ?
That ’ s exactly what is happening , yeah .
Me , James , Anthony from Tides of History… The idea is to put out a 2021 calendar with a series of prints , and we ’ ll put down notable dates in Labour history – ’ won election ’ , ‘ Attlee died ’ , etc .
On the reverse of every page will be a full-size print , either taken from the art packs or a historical design .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hopefully be going to a food bank this Christmas .
That would be amazing !
I ’ m definitely buying one .
It ’ s a chance to do something good and potentially unifying – it ’ s not going to be that divisive , hopefully .
Yeah , definitely .
Unless you put insulting things about particular leaders , or ‘ shit policy decided on this day ’ , stuff like that .
And it should cheer us up during the second lockdown !

Kevin Kennedy Ryan, founder of Labour Party Graphic Designers (LPGD), recently launched a fundraiser with the admirable aim of building an online Labour Party archive. LabourList was too late to help with reaching the £500 goal, as the funds were secured in less than 24 hours, but we thought this would be a good moment for our editor Sienna Rodgers to catch up with Kevin…
Sienna: You’re the founder of Labour Party Graphic Designers, which we interviewed you about in April 2019. What has your collective of artists and designers been up to since then?
Kevin: We’ve released eight art packs to date, on everything from the climate emergency to the local elections. We did several key workers ones when the pandemic first hit. And then during the local elections and the general election in 2019, one of the big functions we were fulfilling was matching up candidates and campaigns with designers who were willing to volunteer their time. Between the two of those, we matched up dozens of candidates with designers.
That’s great. Are you planning to do that for local elections in May 2021 too?
I think that’s something we’re going to look at doing again. We try to link up candidates with people who are, if not local, at least in their region. One of the things we’re hoping to do further down the line is strengthen ties with the regional parties, and have regional hubs of designers. But that’s a bit of the way out right now.
Have you been in touch with regional parties and started that process?
The party approached us about it, then hasn’t really followed up with us since the initial conversation, so we’re waiting to hear back on that.
I think everyone online has really enjoyed your art packs. Which one were you most proud of?
I think the first key workers one, mostly because it had a quick response. Before we’d always done them with a long lead time of sometimes three months, whereas this one we launched it in two weeks. It was one of our biggest ones and in terms of the quality it was one of the best.
How big is your collective of designers now?
It’s like layers of an onion. There’s four or five of us who are core and keep everything ticking over. Then there’s the more organised periphery of that, which is about 20 people in the group chat. Then there’s the group of people who only submit to art packs every once in a while, and I think we’ve had over 60 designers now who’ve been involved in that.
I wanted to ask you about the Labour Party’s own output, too. The party graphics sometimes attract quite a lot of criticism on Twitter. What do you think needs to change about the party’s approach?
There’s a few parts to it. One is process-driven. The quality of stuff that was going out in the 2019 election was a lot better than what has been going out recently. It’s still the same people who are doing it, but people are working from home, they’re not in an office together. I think one of the things they really need to look at is the sign-off process, more than anything else.
I also think the party can sometimes use brand guidelines as too much of a crutch, rather than a source of inspiration to jump off from. That’s really stifled pushing out anything that is too creative or imaginative. I think social media hasn’t helped with that – you might need to get a brief out in five minutes, if it’s a PMQs response or something. But there’s definitely more space for imagination.
My understanding is that the leader’s office is conducting a (not particularly formal) review of digital stuff in the Labour Party at the moment because they’re not sure who is responsible for what and it is all quite fragmented.
I think that’s quite accurate, especially who signs off, who briefs, where does autonomy lie and where does signing off lie. Any large organisation, whether it’s academia or the health service or a political party, you’re going to get that disconnect in various ways. If they can improve it, that’s a hell of a place to start.
I’ve now lobbied the new leader’s office about getting a new Labour logo. I’ve found it’s really difficult to work with that cut-out rose to make other graphics. Does that call have the support of LPGD?
It thoroughly has the LPGD seal of approval. The logo that we’ve got was a temporary logo created for the 2010 Gordon Brown election, and it was never intended to still be in use a decade later. It’s difficult to work with, and it’s not particularly imaginative. No-one in the party likes it either.
It would be great [to get a new logo], but we get tagged a lot on social media being like: ‘Oh, let’s do an art pack on rebranding the party or creating a new logo’. It’s important to know that it is a process with a lot of integrity that has to happen in order to do the branding exercise and come out with a visual identity that reflects the party’s values and appeals to an audience. That’s not the kind of thing that a bunch of dorks on Twitter can do.
Turning to your latest project: you launched a fundraiser to buy up and bring over some rare Labour materials. I noticed that you reached your goal in just one day. Talk me through how you came across these items in San Francisco, and what you’re planning to do with them.
One of the things we’re working on at the moment, which we’re hoping to launch in correlation with the next art pack, is redoing the [LGPD] website. There is a really talented guy called James Calmus, who has been working on that.
Oh, really? Link me up with him! [Full disclosure: James is Sienna’s partner.]
One of the functions of putting up the materials is it’s sort of a Pinterest-style repository – Labour Party posters, buttons, flyers, etc, from over the years. We’re going to be launching that hopefully at around the end of October. At the moment we’ve got an archive of about 600 posters, which will be going live on there. The hope is that it can serve as both a historical archive but also a good jump-off point for any time that creatives are sitting down thinking, ‘I need to get a logo’ for a council candidate or university Labour society. They can sit down and look at a bit of inspiration, and see this is what a good Labour poster looks like.
We’ve spent a lot of time trawling the internet, looking at loads of weird and wonderful posters from across the years. We stumbled on this bookshop in San Francisco, which had quite a comprehensive collection of old rare pamphlets from the party. We’ve got a really good relationship with the guys at Tides of History, so we asked whether they’d seen these and most of them they hadn’t. We thought, oh we should try to get them over. Anthony from Tides of History suggested doing a fundraiser. So we set it up, hit 50% in the first six hours and within 24 hours hit the total.
Our main intention with it is to get them shipped over, digitise them, make them online. For historiography, but also there are some interesting design elements to some of them. We’ll get those included in the archive, and then our hope is to donate the physical copies – once we’ve digitised them – to the People’s History Museum, or maybe the TUC library.
That’s going to be incredible. You’ll have this big catalogue online, and people will be able to search by year, artist, theme, that kind of thing?
Yeah, absolutely. We’ve spent quite a lot of time over the last three months indexing hundreds and hundreds of pictures with tags, so it’ll be very easily searchable.
When you were looking through these old posters, badges, etc, were there any new favourites that you gained in that process?
One of the striking things was the Labour Party programmes from the 1930s, particularly from local elections and for local government. There was a huge emphasis on municipal socialism and for a couple of years they went for the title ‘Socialism in Action’ as a header. I think it’s one of the things with which we may have lost our way a bit, showing how councils can creatively transform our cities for the better, and we’ve been bogged down with administration. There’s a level of aspiration in a lot of them that I think we’ve lost.
You reached your £500 fundraising goal really quickly. Are you going to fundraise for something else next?
Yes, but only with purpose. I don’t want to sit there with an unaccountable pot of money and not necessarily have any plans for it. But we’ve got a few irons in the fire. Obviously the repository online is going to be a work in progress, and hopefully that will continue and expand over the years to become more comprehensive. It’s particularly more modern stuff that is lacking, actually, anything from mid-90s through to 2010 there’s a bit of a black hole. And there’s something else coming up that is not public yet.
Are there other upcoming projects you can tell us about?
A charity Christmas calendar.
Are you guys going to be naked with Labour roses placed in appropriate areas?
That’s exactly what is happening, yeah. Me, James, Anthony from Tides of History… The idea is to put out a 2021 calendar with a series of prints, and we’ll put down notable dates in Labour history – ’won election’, ‘Attlee died’, etc. On the reverse of every page will be a full-size print, either taken from the art packs or a historical design. And all the money raised from it will hopefully be going to a food bank this Christmas.
That would be amazing! I’m definitely buying one.
It’s a chance to do something good and potentially unifying – it’s not going to be that divisive, hopefully.
Yeah, definitely. Unless you put insulting things about particular leaders, or ‘shit policy decided on this day’, stuff like that. And it should cheer us up during the second lockdown!