labourlist--2020-12-08--Starmer and Evans pledge to “close the gap” between leadership and councillors

Keir Starmer and David Evans have pledged to “ close the gap ” between the Labour leadership and the party ’ s councillors in an effort to decentralise power and support those representatives on the frontline in local government .
In an online event with Labour councillors this afternoon , the Labour leader and general secretary of the party were joined by deputy leader Angela Rayner and Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary Steve Reed .
The leadership used the meeting to emphasise the message Starmer sent to councillors during the Labour leadership elections earlier this year when he called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over-centralisation of power in our politics ” .
Commenting on the pledge made to councillors in February , Starmer told those watching this afternoon : “ I made it really clear in my leadership bid in the early part of this year that I was going to close that gap .
“ That I wanted every councillor , council leader , everybody who is representing us in their area to feel that the gap between the leader and the leadership of the Labour Party and them was closed and closed properly .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much closer as one team .
And also so that we could showcase what you ’ re all doing because we need to prove that voting Labour makes a difference.
” He added : “ I run an election planning meeting with David every Wednesday afternoon for an hour and a half , every single week , planning into the 2021 elections .
“ The first item on the agenda for that every week is the view from someone in one of the regions and areas on the ground , a local leader @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the issues are for the elections as they see them .
“ In addition to that , every shadow cabinet member has got a linked local authority leader now , which is really excellent and Nick Forbes [ leader of Local Government Association Labour group ] sits on the shadow cabinet now week in , week out… “ All of this is to demonstrate to you that the commitment we made that we would work in a different way and close that gap is very , very real.
” The meeting also offered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the new general secretary David Evans , who was favoured for the role by Starmer and appointed by the national executive committee in May .
Evans said today : “ This is my second time in the employment of the party .
I worked for the party for 15 years about 20 years or so ago .
I was a local organiser , a regional official and assistant general secretary .
“ Every single job I had working for the Labour Party then , the truth is , my job was to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be quiet and behave , focus on winning parliamentary elections… “ I now absolutely understand and value the importance of local government and for me our regeneration , our resurgence and our victory will come from the ground .
It will come from and through local government.
” Evans served as a councillor in Croydon , south London , between 1986 and 1990 .
He became regional secretary of Labour in the North West between 1995 and 1999 and assistant general secretary between 1999 and 2001 .
Local Labour parties were told by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the suspension of the whip from Jeremy Corbyn – including expressions of solidarity – would be “ ruled out of order ” , and a number of members have been suspended .
Asked by one attendee this afternoon how Labour groups of councillors can “ improve relations ” between them and their Constituency Labour Parties , Evans told the meeting : “ I speak as a former councillor , I was a councillor in my 20s .
“ I ’ ve got to admit I did it badly .
You know , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I hope one day I might be able to atone for being a poor kind of 23-year-old councillor and go back and do it better… “ Mario Cuomo said you govern in poetry , you campaign in prose .
By which he meant , when you campaign , you ’ re campaigning with the heart and our members are impatient for us to be able to implement their values .
“ I get why sometimes they might be frustrated about lack of progress .
Councillors , be they in opposition or in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day-to-day .
So , I think part of it is helping our councillors translate what they do.
” He added : “ I think if members understood that vital work that councillors do better , then that would improve relationships… It ’ s about building that relationship with trust and confidence and above all doing practical things together to campaign.
” Shadow Local Government Secretary Steve Reed said : “ We ’ re trying to move away from passing motions , which can sometimes be empty words that don ’ t make change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them with policy panels .
“ We get a group of members to engage with people in the community and providing services to tackle that problem and they come up with recommendations… Then we all work together to hold the decision-makers to account.
” Starmer wrote for LabourList in February pledging to devolve power to councils , give councillors a bigger voice in Labour , let them lead on campaigning , involve councillors and mayors in policy development and promote diversity .
“ I want councillors to have a voice at every level @ @ @ @ @ @ @ argue for increased representation of councillors on the national executive committee , ” the Labour leader wrote as a leadership candidate in February .
Asked this afternoon whether the “ new focus on local government ” would be reflected by changes to the structure or number of seats on Labour ’ s NEC , Starmer pointed out : “ That would require rule changes.
” The leader said : “ I would have thought that the engagement in the practical decisions about what we ’ re doing in response to Covid , cuts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re doing might be a lot more influential than sitting on the NEC for hours on end .
“ We ’ ll certainly look at everything , but that would require rule changes .
When I was standing for election , people were focused on the NEC because they thought that ’ s the way to influence what the party is going to say and do and the way it ’ s run .
“ Actually , I think in the way that we ’ ve operated over the last few months , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way of influencing what we ’ re doing and where we ’ re going.
” Councillors contribute over £2m to the party annually via the councillor levy .
In February , Nick Forbes argued nearly one in three councillors would be prepared to withhold it unless the party “ improved its relationship with local government ” .
On the levy , Starmer said this afternoon : “ I hope that in a sense you ’ ve already seen in the last eight months that you ’ re getting much more in return… that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ engagement is much greater… “ If we can can do what we ’ re all set out to do , which is deliver a Labour government , then it is money well spent .
It is particularly galling when you ’ re paying money in and we ’ re losing elections .
“ But , you know , it ’ s an investment in a Labour government and we will sweat blood every day , week , month and year until 2024 to deliver back what you are putting in through the levy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will all be part of that because in the end we ’ re not sustaining the party for the sake of the party .
We ’ re sustaining the party and driving the party because we want to formulate the government , change lives for the better .
“ Just think what the relationship will be like if we have a Labour government , because you will have myself , Steve and Ange in government working with you , which is so much better than being in opposition working with you .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s basically to say thanks and please keep paying and supporting us – in response , we want you to be part of the team , we really do.
” Addressing the levy question , Evans told the audience that “ there is much work still to be done in councillors feeling undervalued and paying that money and being treated as , I don ’ t know , an easy buck for the party ” .
He said it is up to him and the leadership to “ change that and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also warned that the party faces “ very tough financial challenges ” and told those present that he did not want to “ overcommit or over-promise ” .
Evans added : “ But I do commit to make more transparent and bring into practical effect better support and better engagement and a better relationship .
”

Keir Starmer and David Evans have pledged to “close the gap” between the Labour leadership and the party’s councillors in an effort to decentralise power and support those representatives on the frontline in local government.
In an online event with Labour councillors this afternoon, the Labour leader and general secretary of the party were joined by deputy leader Angela Rayner and Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary Steve Reed.
The leadership used the meeting to emphasise the message Starmer sent to councillors during the Labour leadership elections earlier this year when he called for an end to the “stifling over-centralisation of power in our politics”.
Commenting on the pledge made to councillors in February, Starmer told those watching this afternoon: “I made it really clear in my leadership bid in the early part of this year that I was going to close that gap.
“That I wanted every councillor, council leader, everybody who is representing us in their area to feel that the gap between the leader and the leadership of the Labour Party and them was closed and closed properly.
“So that we could work much, much closer as one team. And also so that we could showcase what you’re all doing because we need to prove that voting Labour makes a difference.”
He added: “I run an election planning meeting with David every Wednesday afternoon for an hour and a half, every single week, planning into the 2021 elections.
“The first item on the agenda for that every week is the view from someone in one of the regions and areas on the ground, a local leader coming into us and telling us what the issues are for the elections as they see them.
“In addition to that, every shadow cabinet member has got a linked local authority leader now, which is really excellent and Nick Forbes [leader of Local Government Association Labour group] sits on the shadow cabinet now week in, week out…
“All of this is to demonstrate to you that the commitment we made that we would work in a different way and close that gap is very, very real.”
The meeting also offered Labour councillors the opportunity to hear directly from the new general secretary David Evans, who was favoured for the role by Starmer and appointed by the national executive committee in May.
Evans said today: “This is my second time in the employment of the party. I worked for the party for 15 years about 20 years or so ago. I was a local organiser, a regional official and assistant general secretary.
“Every single job I had working for the Labour Party then, the truth is, my job was to get local government to shut up, be quiet and behave, focus on winning parliamentary elections…
“I now absolutely understand and value the importance of local government and for me our regeneration, our resurgence and our victory will come from the ground. It will come from and through local government.”
Evans served as a councillor in Croydon, south London, between 1986 and 1990. He became regional secretary of Labour in the North West between 1995 and 1999 and assistant general secretary between 1999 and 2001.
Local Labour parties were told by Evans last month that motions relating to the suspension of the whip from Jeremy Corbyn – including expressions of solidarity – would be “ruled out of order”, and a number of members have been suspended.
Asked by one attendee this afternoon how Labour groups of councillors can “improve relations” between them and their Constituency Labour Parties, Evans told the meeting: “I speak as a former councillor, I was a councillor in my 20s.
“I’ve got to admit I did it badly. You know, I hold my hands up. I mean, I hope one day I might be able to atone for being a poor kind of 23-year-old councillor and go back and do it better…
“Mario Cuomo said you govern in poetry, you campaign in prose. By which he meant, when you campaign, you’re campaigning with the heart and our members are impatient for us to be able to implement their values.
“I get why sometimes they might be frustrated about lack of progress. Councillors, be they in opposition or in office, have to deal with the day-to-day. So, I think part of it is helping our councillors translate what they do.”
He added: “I think if members understood that vital work that councillors do better, then that would improve relationships… It’s about building that relationship with trust and confidence and above all doing practical things together to campaign.”
Shadow Local Government Secretary Steve Reed said: “We’re trying to move away from passing motions, which can sometimes be empty words that don’t make change in the real world, and replace them with policy panels.
“We get a group of members to engage with people in the community and providing services to tackle that problem and they come up with recommendations… Then we all work together to hold the decision-makers to account.”
Starmer wrote for LabourList in February pledging to devolve power to councils, give councillors a bigger voice in Labour, let them lead on campaigning, involve councillors and mayors in policy development and promote diversity.
“I want councillors to have a voice at every level in the Labour Party. I will argue for increased representation of councillors on the national executive committee,” the Labour leader wrote as a leadership candidate in February.
Asked this afternoon whether the “new focus on local government” would be reflected by changes to the structure or number of seats on Labour’s NEC, Starmer pointed out: “That would require rule changes.”
The leader said: “I would have thought that the engagement in the practical decisions about what we’re doing in response to Covid, cuts, etc, and what we’re doing might be a lot more influential than sitting on the NEC for hours on end.
“We’ll certainly look at everything, but that would require rule changes. When I was standing for election, people were focused on the NEC because they thought that’s the way to influence what the party is going to say and do and the way it’s run.
“Actually, I think in the way that we’ve operated over the last few months, there’s at least an equal way of influencing what we’re doing and where we’re going.”
Councillors contribute over £2m to the party annually via the councillor levy. In February, Nick Forbes argued nearly one in three councillors would be prepared to withhold it unless the party “improved its relationship with local government”.
On the levy, Starmer said this afternoon: “I hope that in a sense you’ve already seen in the last eight months that you’re getting much more in return… that although the level is being paid the engagement is much greater…
“If we can can do what we’re all set out to do, which is deliver a Labour government, then it is money well spent. It is particularly galling when you’re paying money in and we’re losing elections.
“But, you know, it’s an investment in a Labour government and we will sweat blood every day, week, month and year until 2024 to deliver back what you are putting in through the levy that you are paying.
“You will all be part of that because in the end we’re not sustaining the party for the sake of the party. We’re sustaining the party and driving the party because we want to formulate the government, change lives for the better.
“Just think what the relationship will be like if we have a Labour government, because you will have myself, Steve and Ange in government working with you, which is so much better than being in opposition working with you.
“A bit of a long answer but it’s basically to say thanks and please keep paying and supporting us – in response, we want you to be part of the team, we really do.”
Addressing the levy question, Evans told the audience that “there is much work still to be done in councillors feeling undervalued and paying that money and being treated as, I don’t know, an easy buck for the party”.
He said it is up to him and the leadership to “change that and change it quickly”. But he also warned that the party faces “very tough financial challenges” and told those present that he did not want to “overcommit or over-promise”.
Evans added: “But I do commit to make more transparent and bring into practical effect better support and better engagement and a better relationship.”


labourlist--2020-12-08--A special relationship for the centre-left? Labour’s foreign policy reset

The extent to which a Biden administration delivers on the promise of new , progressive global leadership remains to be seen .
But it does offer an opportunity for a reorientation of how the left sees the world and the UK ’ s role within it .
The ‘ anti-imperialism ’ of the last Labour leadership has little to offer , beholden to unbending principles that , whilst occasionally placing adherents on the right side of events like Iraq , offer no realistic guide to strategy or progressive values where action is required .
In a new pamphlet for Open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Development launching on 10th December , we use insights from Labour foreign policy leading lights like the late Jo Cox and Robin Cook to suggest elements of an alternative .
Criticising the ‘ two campist ’ approach of the hard left , which condemns the ‘ West ’ and condones the ‘ rest ’ regardless of circumstances , we suggest that on the major issues confronting the new Biden administration it is imperative Labour leave behind the legacy of Corbynism .
Led by Shadow Foreign Secretary Lisa Nandy , Labour ’ s foreign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reset , presenting the potential for the party to construct a new special relationship of the centre-left turned newly outward towards the world .
Left approaches to the US are still largely coloured by the legacies and limitations of Atlanticist policies during and after the Cold War , as well as the experience of Iraq and liberal interventionism .
However , world events and alliances have moved on , and contemporary events in the Middle East do not fit easily into the Iraq template .
Joe Biden inherits from Barack Obama and Donald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ produced by American intervention overseas , but rather inaction and self-interested calculation in the face of conflict .
Where Iraq was a crucible for what happens when the US prosecutes its power as global policeman too assertively , the Syrian revolution resonates today as an example of what happens when it shirks responsibility to deploy its unparalleled power to promote peace and human rights .
Despite calls from Syrian civil society for assistance , when red lines were crossed the democratic world passively watched as the revolution was crushed by regime war crimes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Too often in the past decade , the protection of authoritarian state sovereignty has been placed above protection of humans from harm , with parts of the hard left happy to see national borders limit humanitarian intervention .
Under Nandy ’ s initiative , Labour is already looking at developing proposals for reform of the UN Security Council , which has proved itself incapable of approving action to defend people from egregious human rights violations in Syria and elsewhere .
As permanent members of the UN Security Council , China and Russia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Assad regime from military and legal prosecution .
How best to counteract their increasing global influence will be a key question confronting the new Biden administration .
Biden has stated an aspiration to establish new political structures bringing together liberal democracies in common cause against the contravention of democratic norms and human rights by countries like China , as well as the reinvigoration of existing structures such as NATO to deter Russian aggression .
More broadly , this offers up the possibility for a human rights-led international agenda .
There is understandable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inherited from the Obama administrations will result in the kind of progressive interventions , such as in conflict resolution , that events require .
What is clear is that if Labour is to exert pressure on the new administration to move in a more progressive direction , it will have to move on from the previous leadership ’ s approach .
The unreconstructed anti-imperialism of the last Labour leadership either ignored Chinese and Russian economic and military expansion or viewed it as a justified counterweight to Western geopolitical encirclement .
This impossible non-alignment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ critique of these authoritarian combinations of state and capital .
But under Nandy ’ s stewardship , Labour has been commendably quick to condemn Russian aggression , as well as the Chinese repression of the Uighur Muslims and dissidents in Hong Kong .
Its proposed human rights sanctions in response to evidence of grievous crimes against humanity in Xinjiang province go much further than the government ’ s own cowed words of condemnation .
On these issues and others , Labour has done a lot to restore its standing on defence and national @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recent announcement of substantial investment in defence spending did imply some strategic thinking inside Number 10 , and Conservative eagerness to pursue splendid isolation may ease without a kindred spirit in the White House .
But the announcement of a cut in the aid budget is a depressing sign of Tory priorities at a time of global uncertainty and instability .
In the context of this impoverished idea of ‘ Global Britain ’ , the Biden presidency may create an opportunity for the Starmer-led Labour Party to re-envision and reforge the transatlantic partnership @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New Labour and the ‘ New Democrats ’ congregated around common points of domestic policy in the 1990s .
As indicated earlier , it should not be taken for granted that the American enthusiasm for a more independent and isolationist orientation towards the world will wane quickly .
In this context , the responsibility also falls upon Europe to assert itself over the course of events .
With NATO weakened by ruptures , it becomes even more crucial for the UK to maintain close political relations with our European partners , retaining proximity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ security integration and sharing resources of soft power like aid and diplomatic support as a bridge to the wider world .
That said , whatever the Biden presidency brings , the US will be indispensable to any attempt to construct and defend a safer and more democratic world .
A post-populist centre-left resurgent either side of the Atlantic could have a bigger part to play on the world stage than at any time since the mid-Nineties ‘ Third Way ’ , bypassing the old transatlanticism that led Labour astray in the Noughties for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and rule of law .
This means escaping the constraints of the compromised worldview of the Corbynite left in order to offer a principled alternative to a right seemingly sapped of energy in defending liberal democratic norms across the globe .
The authors will launch Open Labour ’ s pamphlet ‘ A Progressive Foreign Policy for New Times ’ on December 10th , alongside Shadow Foreign Secretary Lisa Nandy MP , Oscar-nominated and Emmy and BAFTA award-winning journalist Waad Al-Kateab , Labour Campaign for International Development vice-chair David Taylor , Professor Mary Kaldor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how to register can be found here .

The extent to which a Biden administration delivers on the promise of new, progressive global leadership remains to be seen. But it does offer an opportunity for a reorientation of how the left sees the world and the UK’s role within it. The ‘anti-imperialism’ of the last Labour leadership has little to offer, beholden to unbending principles that, whilst occasionally placing adherents on the right side of events like Iraq, offer no realistic guide to strategy or progressive values where action is required.
In a new pamphlet for Open Labour and the Labour Campaign for International Development launching on 10th December, we use insights from Labour foreign policy leading lights like the late Jo Cox and Robin Cook to suggest elements of an alternative. Criticising the ‘two campist’ approach of the hard left, which condemns the ‘West’ and condones the ‘rest’ regardless of circumstances, we suggest that on the major issues confronting the new Biden administration it is imperative Labour leave behind the legacy of Corbynism.
Led by Shadow Foreign Secretary Lisa Nandy, Labour’s foreign policy already shows signs of a major reset, presenting the potential for the party to construct a new special relationship of the centre-left turned newly outward towards the world. Left approaches to the US are still largely coloured by the legacies and limitations of Atlanticist policies during and after the Cold War, as well as the experience of Iraq and liberal interventionism. However, world events and alliances have moved on, and contemporary events in the Middle East do not fit easily into the Iraq template.
Joe Biden inherits from Barack Obama and Donald Trump a fractious world order not primarily produced by American intervention overseas, but rather inaction and self-interested calculation in the face of conflict. Where Iraq was a crucible for what happens when the US prosecutes its power as global policeman too assertively, the Syrian revolution resonates today as an example of what happens when it shirks responsibility to deploy its unparalleled power to promote peace and human rights.
Despite calls from Syrian civil society for assistance, when red lines were crossed the democratic world passively watched as the revolution was crushed by regime war crimes, Russian air power and Iranian militias. Too often in the past decade, the protection of authoritarian state sovereignty has been placed above protection of humans from harm, with parts of the hard left happy to see national borders limit humanitarian intervention.
Under Nandy’s initiative, Labour is already looking at developing proposals for reform of the UN Security Council, which has proved itself incapable of approving action to defend people from egregious human rights violations in Syria and elsewhere. As permanent members of the UN Security Council, China and Russia have repeatedly wielded their veto to defend the Assad regime from military and legal prosecution. How best to counteract their increasing global influence will be a key question confronting the new Biden administration.
Biden has stated an aspiration to establish new political structures bringing together liberal democracies in common cause against the contravention of democratic norms and human rights by countries like China, as well as the reinvigoration of existing structures such as NATO to deter Russian aggression. More broadly, this offers up the possibility for a human rights-led international agenda.
There is understandable scepticism about whether domestic priorities and strategies inherited from the Obama administrations will result in the kind of progressive interventions, such as in conflict resolution, that events require. What is clear is that if Labour is to exert pressure on the new administration to move in a more progressive direction, it will have to move on from the previous leadership’s approach. The unreconstructed anti-imperialism of the last Labour leadership either ignored Chinese and Russian economic and military expansion or viewed it as a justified counterweight to Western geopolitical encirclement.
This impossible non-alignment left Labour unable to articulate a clear-voiced critique of these authoritarian combinations of state and capital. But under Nandy’s stewardship, Labour has been commendably quick to condemn Russian aggression, as well as the Chinese repression of the Uighur Muslims and dissidents in Hong Kong. Its proposed human rights sanctions in response to evidence of grievous crimes against humanity in Xinjiang province go much further than the government’s own cowed words of condemnation.
On these issues and others, Labour has done a lot to restore its standing on defence and national security against a lacklustre government. The recent announcement of substantial investment in defence spending did imply some strategic thinking inside Number 10, and Conservative eagerness to pursue splendid isolation may ease without a kindred spirit in the White House. But the announcement of a cut in the aid budget is a depressing sign of Tory priorities at a time of global uncertainty and instability.
In the context of this impoverished idea of ‘Global Britain’, the Biden presidency may create an opportunity for the Starmer-led Labour Party to re-envision and reforge the transatlantic partnership around progressive internationalist principles, just as New Labour and the ‘New Democrats’ congregated around common points of domestic policy in the 1990s.
As indicated earlier, it should not be taken for granted that the American enthusiasm for a more independent and isolationist orientation towards the world will wane quickly. In this context, the responsibility also falls upon Europe to assert itself over the course of events. With NATO weakened by ruptures, it becomes even more crucial for the UK to maintain close political relations with our European partners, retaining proximity to European plans for closer defence and security integration and sharing resources of soft power like aid and diplomatic support as a bridge to the wider world.
That said, whatever the Biden presidency brings, the US will be indispensable to any attempt to construct and defend a safer and more democratic world. A post-populist centre-left resurgent either side of the Atlantic could have a bigger part to play on the world stage than at any time since the mid-Nineties ‘Third Way’, bypassing the old transatlanticism that led Labour astray in the Noughties for a new transatlanticism based on human rights and rule of law. This means escaping the constraints of the compromised worldview of the Corbynite left in order to offer a principled alternative to a right seemingly sapped of energy in defending liberal democratic norms across the globe.
The authors will launch Open Labour’s pamphlet ‘A Progressive Foreign Policy for New Times’ on December 10th, alongside Shadow Foreign Secretary Lisa Nandy MP, Oscar-nominated and Emmy and BAFTA award-winning journalist Waad Al-Kateab, Labour Campaign for International Development vice-chair David Taylor, Professor Mary Kaldor and Alex Sobel MP. Details for how to register can be found here.


labourlist--2020-12-08--From Westminster to the grassroots, let’s take a stand against hate in 2021

At the beginning of the year , HOPE not hate warned that the far right and fascism was now bigger and more dangerous than at any point since the 1970s .
The digital age had empowered not just progressive and pro-democracy movements , but also a new generation of radically reactionary populists , the alt-right and neo-Nazis .
As a result of this , and broader economic and social uncertainty , we were living with radical-right and far-right political parties across Europe , and reactionary populist leaders ruling over huge swathes of the world ’ s population in America , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ leader of the free world ’ refused to condemn Nazis marching in Charlottesville , regularly promoted far-right and extreme figures on Twitter and asked far-right groups to “ stand back and stand by ” .
The decade that began with the horrific Utøya massacre in 2011 saw increasingly frequent fatal far-right terror attacks across the world : the Pittsburgh , Poway and Halle synagogue shootings ; Christchurch and Bærum mosque shootings ; the Hanau shootings ; and in the UK the Finsbury Park Mosque attack .
Sadly , the Labour Party and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ itself .
Batley MP Jo Cox was murdered by a far-right extremist during the 2016 referendum campaign , and earlier this month the teenage son of a House of Lords clerk was sentenced for 14 terror offences , including possessing documents useful to a terrorist , disseminating terrorist publications , encouraging terrorism and downloading child abuse images , influenced by a neo-Nazi Satanist philosophy known as the ‘ Order of Nine Angles ’ ( O9A ) .
This latter case typifies the nature of modern far-right terror .
This younger , digital generation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ radicalising each other via peer-to-peer contacts and unregulated online platforms such as Telegram and BitChute .
Whilst jihadist networks are still by far the biggest threat to our safety , far-right terror is now the fastest growing threat in the UK , making up a third of all terror plots foiled by the security services ( who have now taken over responsibility for this area from the police ) .
It is now vital that tackling the danger posed by the far-right is prioritised by parliament and the government .
That is why @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Labour MPs to launch the Labour HOPE not hate parliamentary group , which will work to expose and educate about the latest threats from the far right and prioritise the issue within the legislative agenda in parliament .
The group , chaired by Stephanie Peacock MP – with support from across the party – will push for the proscription of the O9A movement , which has been implicated in a number of recent terror trials ; reform of the process of proscribing terror groups , which is too slow for the digital age @ @ @ @ @ @ @ young people being radicalised .
The struggle against the far right can no longer be considered a niche issue .
The threat is real and growing and everyone is at risk , from children to ethnic minorities , the LGBT+ community and women – anyone , in fact , who stands against hate and division .
It is now time for all levels of civil society , from the grassroots to the palace of Westminster , to make sure that 2021 goes down in history as the year we stood together in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , beliefs or politics – and showed the far right that we will never allow it to scare us or abandon our belief in solidarity , shared values and unity .
The group launches with a webinar at 6pm this evening featuring HOPE not hate CEO Nick Lowles and MP Stephanie Peacock discussing what politicians and campaigners in Westminster and beyond need to do about the far-right threat .
Sign up here .

At the beginning of the year, HOPE not hate warned that the far right and fascism was now bigger and more dangerous than at any point since the 1970s. The digital age had empowered not just progressive and pro-democracy movements, but also a new generation of radically reactionary populists, the alt-right and neo-Nazis.
As a result of this, and broader economic and social uncertainty, we were living with radical-right and far-right political parties across Europe, and reactionary populist leaders ruling over huge swathes of the world’s population in America, India and Brazil. Indeed, the ‘leader of the free world’ refused to condemn Nazis marching in Charlottesville, regularly promoted far-right and extreme figures on Twitter and asked far-right groups to “stand back and stand by”.
The decade that began with the horrific Utøya massacre in 2011 saw increasingly frequent fatal far-right terror attacks across the world: the Pittsburgh, Poway and Halle synagogue shootings; Christchurch and Bærum mosque shootings; the Hanau shootings; and in the UK the Finsbury Park Mosque attack.
Sadly, the Labour Party and Westminster knows this danger all too well itself. Batley MP Jo Cox was murdered by a far-right extremist during the 2016 referendum campaign, and earlier this month the teenage son of a House of Lords clerk was sentenced for 14 terror offences, including possessing documents useful to a terrorist, disseminating terrorist publications, encouraging terrorism and downloading child abuse images, influenced by a neo-Nazi Satanist philosophy known as the ‘Order of Nine Angles’ (O9A).
This latter case typifies the nature of modern far-right terror. This younger, digital generation are decentralised and outside traditional organisations, radicalising each other via peer-to-peer contacts and unregulated online platforms such as Telegram and BitChute. Whilst jihadist networks are still by far the biggest threat to our safety, far-right terror is now the fastest growing threat in the UK, making up a third of all terror plots foiled by the security services (who have now taken over responsibility for this area from the police).
It is now vital that tackling the danger posed by the far-right is prioritised by parliament and the government. That is why HOPE not hate is joining with committed Labour MPs to launch the Labour HOPE not hate parliamentary group, which will work to expose and educate about the latest threats from the far right and prioritise the issue within the legislative agenda in parliament.
The group, chaired by Stephanie Peacock MP – with support from across the party – will push for the proscription of the O9A movement, which has been implicated in a number of recent terror trials; reform of the process of proscribing terror groups, which is too slow for the digital age; and urgent safeguarding initiatives to protect young people being radicalised.
The struggle against the far right can no longer be considered a niche issue. The threat is real and growing and everyone is at risk, from children to ethnic minorities, the LGBT+ community and women – anyone, in fact, who stands against hate and division. It is now time for all levels of civil society, from the grassroots to the palace of Westminster, to make sure that 2021 goes down in history as the year we stood together in the face of hate – whatever our backgrounds, beliefs or politics – and showed the far right that we will never allow it to scare us or abandon our belief in solidarity, shared values and unity.
The group launches with a webinar at 6pm this evening featuring HOPE not hate CEO Nick Lowles and MP Stephanie Peacock discussing what politicians and campaigners in Westminster and beyond need to do about the far-right threat. Sign up here.
Membership
Chair:
Stephanie Peacock
Vice-chairs:
Feryal Clark
Jon Cruddas
John Cryer
Stephen Doughty
Taiwo Owatemi
Sarah Owen
Nadia Whittome
Supporters and champions:
Debbie Abrahams
Rushanara Ali
Bambos Charalambous
Tan Dhesi
Julie Elliott
Kate Green
Louise Haigh
Helen Hayes
Rachel Hopkins
Diana R. Johnson
Afzal Khan
Kerry McCarthy
Conor McGinn
Alison McGovern
Stephen Morgan
Stephanie Peacock
Luke Pollard
Angela Rayner
Marie Rimmer
Alex Sobel
Wes Streeting
Nick Thomas-Symonds
Sam Tarry
Karl Turner
Lisa Nandy
Charlotte Nichols
Alex Norris


labourlist--2020-12-09--PMQs: Starmer takes a risk in virtual session with new focus on Brexit

Keir Starmer went virtual at Prime Minister ’ s Questions this week .
He is self-isolating and – instead of deputy Angela Rayner stepping up as she did last time – he arranged a video link .
That was the first big difference .
The other was that Starmer has consistently chosen to grill Boris Johnson on coronavirus at PMQs , opting for the government ’ s handling of the pandemic as his main topic every week for the last ten weeks by my count .
But with Covid-19 news currently dominated by the happy arrival of approved vaccines and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doubted would ever come , the Labour leader changed course .
Brexit was the focus of the session this afternoon , which came ahead of the Prime Minister travelling to Brussels for dinner with Ursula von der Leyen at 7pm .
This is a tricky subject for the opposition leader , who came to be seen by many as Labour ’ s ‘ Remainer-in-chief ’ and now needs to win back Leave voters in the so-called ‘ Red Wall ’ , but he will have hoped today that it was an even trickier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the possibility of no deal looming , Johnson did not seem comfortable : he quickly deflected , as Starmer pointed out , by making a ridiculous jibe about the opposition dialling in from Islington .
This is both factually incorrect , as Starmer lives in the borough of Camden , and very silly particularly because it is Johnson who sold an Islington home only last year .
Starmer highlighted the issues of trustworthiness and incompetence , which have become touchstones of his attacks as opposition leader .
The first measure is affected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being described as “ zero ” and the promise of an “ oven-ready ” deal , he argued .
( Labour is making a safe bet that voters do not care about whether the Tories were referring to the withdrawal agreement or the trade deal when using this phrase last year . )
The second measure is affected by the prospect of no deal itself , which would be a “ total failure ” and see British people “ pay the price ” , the Labour leader said .
The opposition leader was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Labour plans to vote on a deal .
He maintained the line that he could not reveal whipping arrangements ahead of a deal being agreed , but said : “ If there is a deal , and I hope there ’ s a deal , then my party will vote in the national interest not on party political lines as he is doing.
” The “ national interest ” framing does not necessarily mean Labour will vote in favour : the same line was used when the party recently abstained on coronavirus rules @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the leadership is inclined towards a vote for a deal , however .
The next question is whether Starmer can show the country that his party is listening while also limiting the number of resignations that risk sending the opposite message and losing talent from the frontbench .

Keir Starmer went virtual at Prime Minister’s Questions this week. He is self-isolating and – instead of deputy Angela Rayner stepping up as she did last time – he arranged a video link. That was the first big difference. The other was that Starmer has consistently chosen to grill Boris Johnson on coronavirus at PMQs, opting for the government’s handling of the pandemic as his main topic every week for the last ten weeks by my count. But with Covid-19 news currently dominated by the happy arrival of approved vaccines and the start of a roll-out that some doubted would ever come, the Labour leader changed course.
Brexit was the focus of the session this afternoon, which came ahead of the Prime Minister travelling to Brussels for dinner with Ursula von der Leyen at 7pm. This is a tricky subject for the opposition leader, who came to be seen by many as Labour’s ‘Remainer-in-chief’ and now needs to win back Leave voters in the so-called ‘Red Wall’, but he will have hoped today that it was an even trickier one for the PM. And, with the possibility of no deal looming, Johnson did not seem comfortable: he quickly deflected, as Starmer pointed out, by making a ridiculous jibe about the opposition dialling in from Islington. This is both factually incorrect, as Starmer lives in the borough of Camden, and very silly particularly because it is Johnson who sold an Islington home only last year.
Starmer highlighted the issues of trustworthiness and incompetence, which have become touchstones of his attacks as opposition leader. The first measure is affected by the chances of no deal previously being described as “zero” and the promise of an “oven-ready” deal, he argued. (Labour is making a safe bet that voters do not care about whether the Tories were referring to the withdrawal agreement or the trade deal when using this phrase last year.) The second measure is affected by the prospect of no deal itself, which would be a “total failure” and see British people “pay the price”, the Labour leader said.
The opposition leader was vulnerable to attacks from Johnson on how Labour plans to vote on a deal. He maintained the line that he could not reveal whipping arrangements ahead of a deal being agreed, but said: “If there is a deal, and I hope there’s a deal, then my party will vote in the national interest not on party political lines as he is doing.” The “national interest” framing does not necessarily mean Labour will vote in favour: the same line was used when the party recently abstained on coronavirus rules, after all. We know that the leadership is inclined towards a vote for a deal, however. The next question is whether Starmer can show the country that his party is listening while also limiting the number of resignations that risk sending the opposite message and losing talent from the frontbench.


labourlist--2020-12-09--Labour green new deal activists welcome energy nationalisation commitment

Labour activists backing a radical ‘ green new deal ’ policy in the drive towards a green post-Covid economy have welcomed a commitment from the party under Keir Starmer ’ s leadership to nationalising the energy sector .
A Labour spokesperson was referenced in a Guardian report on Tuesday as saying the party remains committed to a green new deal , including the aim to achieve the substantial majority of emissions reductions by 2030 and nationalisation of energy .
“ They said its recent green recovery plan was just a short term response to the Covid crisis , adding the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ green new deal it puts forward at the next election , ” according to the write-up .
The development has been warmly received by the Labour for a Green New Deal campaign group , which pushed Labour conference in 2019 to approve a ‘ Socialist Green New Deal ’ motion that set out such proposals .
Lauren Townsend , spokesperson for Labour for a Green New Deal , told LabourList : “ We welcome this commitment from the Labour Party to nationalisation of energy , a key pillar of the green new deal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As recent polls have shown , Labour members want the party to build on the 2019 manifesto , not weaken it .
Having recognised the need for public ownership to decarbonise and democratise our energy systems , Labour must now actively make the case for nationalisation.
” A poll by Survation for LabourList last month found party members still overwhelmingly in favour of the 2019 manifesto , and those surveyed ranked highly the policy of bringing forward net-zero carbon targets to within the 2030s .
Referring to the Guardian piece written by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ March , the Green New Deal activist concluded : “ As Keir Starmer wrote earlier this year , the climate crisis won ’ t wait until 2024.
” Labour sources say Starmer committed during his leadership campaign earlier this year to common ownership of key industries rail , mail , energy and water , and that this remains the position of the party under his direction .
The leader renewed his commitment in October to the ten pledges set out in his campaign , saying “ they remain my priorities ” .
His @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a green new deal , and his fifth backed common ownership .
Lisa Nandy was asked about Starmer ’ s common ownership pledge in September .
The opposition frontbencher said : “ I think giving the public much more control over how those things work , so that they work in the public interest , is right.
” She added : “ We want to see those public utilities work much better .
There are different ways to do that .
Bringing them back into public hands is one way of doing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ control is another.
” Labour ’ s 2019 manifesto promised to set up a new UK National Energy Agency that would own and maintain the national grid infrastructure .
The move aimed to “ end the great privatisation rip-off and save you money on your fares and bills ” .
It stated : “ We will put people and planet before profit by bringing our energy and water systems into democratic public ownership .
In public hands , energy and water will be treated as rights rather than commodities , with any surplus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rebecca Long-Bailey set out detailed plans for the National Energy Agency , an independent public body sponsored by the Business , Energy and Industrial Strategy Department , plus Regional Energy Agencies , Municipal Energy Agencies and Local Energy Communities .
But members of the current shadow cabinet , particularly Nandy , are thought instead to favour the model of community-owned energy co-operatives , which she advocated in 2015 as Shadow Energy Secretary under Jeremy Corbyn .

Labour activists backing a radical ‘green new deal’ policy in the drive towards a green post-Covid economy have welcomed a commitment from the party under Keir Starmer’s leadership to nationalising the energy sector.
A Labour spokesperson was referenced in a Guardian report on Tuesday as saying the party remains committed to a green new deal, including the aim to achieve the substantial majority of emissions reductions by 2030 and nationalisation of energy.
“They said its recent green recovery plan was just a short term response to the Covid crisis, adding the party should be judged on the full green new deal it puts forward at the next election,” according to the write-up.
The development has been warmly received by the Labour for a Green New Deal campaign group, which pushed Labour conference in 2019 to approve a ‘Socialist Green New Deal’ motion that set out such proposals.
Lauren Townsend, spokesperson for Labour for a Green New Deal, told LabourList: “We welcome this commitment from the Labour Party to nationalisation of energy, a key pillar of the green new deal Keir Starmer promised to maintain.
“As recent polls have shown, Labour members want the party to build on the 2019 manifesto, not weaken it. Having recognised the need for public ownership to decarbonise and democratise our energy systems, Labour must now actively make the case for nationalisation.”
A poll by Survation for LabourList last month found party members still overwhelmingly in favour of the 2019 manifesto, and those surveyed ranked highly the policy of bringing forward net-zero carbon targets to within the 2030s.
Referring to the Guardian piece written by the opposition leader as a leadership candidate in March, the Green New Deal activist concluded: “As Keir Starmer wrote earlier this year, the climate crisis won’t wait until 2024.”
Labour sources say Starmer committed during his leadership campaign earlier this year to common ownership of key industries rail, mail, energy and water, and that this remains the position of the party under his direction.
The leader renewed his commitment in October to the ten pledges set out in his campaign, saying “they remain my priorities”. His third pledge on climate justice included support for a green new deal, and his fifth backed common ownership.
Lisa Nandy was asked about Starmer’s common ownership pledge in September. The opposition frontbencher said: “I think giving the public much more control over how those things work, so that they work in the public interest, is right.”
She added: “We want to see those public utilities work much better. There are different ways to do that. Bringing them back into public hands is one way of doing it; giving the public much more control is another.”
Labour’s 2019 manifesto promised to set up a new UK National Energy Agency that would own and maintain the national grid infrastructure. The move aimed to “end the great privatisation rip-off and save you money on your fares and bills”.
It stated: “We will put people and planet before profit by bringing our energy and water systems into democratic public ownership. In public hands, energy and water will be treated as rights rather than commodities, with any surplus reinvested or used to reduce bills.”
Rebecca Long-Bailey set out detailed plans for the National Energy Agency, an independent public body sponsored by the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Department, plus Regional Energy Agencies, Municipal Energy Agencies and Local Energy Communities.
But members of the current shadow cabinet, particularly Nandy, are thought instead to favour the model of community-owned energy co-operatives, which she advocated in 2015 as Shadow Energy Secretary under Jeremy Corbyn.


labourlist--2020-12-09--Brexit deadlines come and go, Johnson set to hold talks over dinner in Brussels

Boris Johnson has described the “ situation ” – i.e .
efforts to secure a post-Brexit trade deal – as “ very tricky ” , but said he hopes that “ the power of sweet reason ” will allow an agreement to be reached .
He is meeting Ursula von der Leyen for dinner in Brussels from 7pm tonight .
Will high-level political talks move things along ?
Should we interpret the agreement in principle yesterday over the Northern Ireland protocol , and the UK ’ s subsequent move to ditch law-breaking legislation that MPs only on Monday spent time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as signs of progress ?
It ’ s too early to say , and neither side now expects the details to be ironed out before the European Council summit .
Another deadline , Thursday , is probably going to come and go , and the uncertainty will continue until the very last possible minute .
The key deciding factor : whether the Prime Minister prioritises listening to Brexiteers in his party or to voters , who I think we can assume do not care that the Tories were referring only to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was “ oven-ready ” last year .
While Rishi Sunak might be pleased with the idea that he can patch up the economic effects of the transition period ending on December 31st with the help of Covid support schemes , the pandemic and arrival of vaccines make supply chain disruptions all the more critical .
A new report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation today has found that the number of people experiencing destitution rose by 54 % between 2017 and 2019 , and that 2.4 million people were experiencing “ extreme hardship ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Jonathan Reynolds has taken the opportunity to highlight yet again those five desperately-needed changes that the party proposed at the start of the pandemic , from scrapping the five-week wait to uprating legacy benefits .
As Steve Turner writes in a piece for LabourList today , Unite is holding a day of action on Universal Credit .
A live event tonight will focus on keeping the £20 uplift that the JRF report identifies as one of the few positives in our social security system right now .
Last time the Labour @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Questions due to a period of coronavirus self-isolation , Angela Rayner stepped up .
The former care worker grilled Johnson on pay in the social care sector and on the crisis that still goes unaddressed by the government despite promises of cross-party working .
This afternoon , however , while self-isolating after a staff member in the leader ’ s office tested positive for Covid-19 , Keir Starmer will take on PMQs himself .
Fingers crossed the video link will work better than it did for the PM last month .
Sign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for everything Labour , every weekday morning .

Boris Johnson has described the “situation” – i.e. efforts to secure a post-Brexit trade deal – as “very tricky”, but said he hopes that “the power of sweet reason” will allow an agreement to be reached. He is meeting Ursula von der Leyen for dinner in Brussels from 7pm tonight. Will high-level political talks move things along? Should we interpret the agreement in principle yesterday over the Northern Ireland protocol, and the UK’s subsequent move to ditch law-breaking legislation that MPs only on Monday spent time putting back into the internal market bill, as signs of progress? It’s too early to say, and neither side now expects the details to be ironed out before the European Council summit.
Another deadline, Thursday, is probably going to come and go, and the uncertainty will continue until the very last possible minute. The key deciding factor: whether the Prime Minister prioritises listening to Brexiteers in his party or to voters, who I think we can assume do not care that the Tories were referring only to the divorce agreement when they said a deal was “oven-ready” last year. While Rishi Sunak might be pleased with the idea that he can patch up the economic effects of the transition period ending on December 31st with the help of Covid support schemes, the pandemic and arrival of vaccines make supply chain disruptions all the more critical.
A new report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation today has found that the number of people experiencing destitution rose by 54% between 2017 and 2019, and that 2.4 million people were experiencing “extreme hardship” before the Covid crisis hit. Labour’s Jonathan Reynolds has taken the opportunity to highlight yet again those five desperately-needed changes that the party proposed at the start of the pandemic, from scrapping the five-week wait to uprating legacy benefits. As Steve Turner writes in a piece for LabourList today, Unite is holding a day of action on Universal Credit. A live event tonight will focus on keeping the £20 uplift that the JRF report identifies as one of the few positives in our social security system right now.
Last time the Labour leader could not attend Prime Minister’s Questions due to a period of coronavirus self-isolation, Angela Rayner stepped up. The former care worker grilled Johnson on pay in the social care sector and on the crisis that still goes unaddressed by the government despite promises of cross-party working. This afternoon, however, while self-isolating after a staff member in the leader’s office tested positive for Covid-19, Keir Starmer will take on PMQs himself. Fingers crossed the video link will work better than it did for the PM last month. Sign up to LabourList’s morning email for everything Labour, every weekday morning.


labourlist--2020-12-09--Greater Manchester leaders “will not be complicit” in asylum seeker evictions

Greater Manchester mayoral and local authority leaders have released a joint statement today pledging that they “ will not be complicit ” in the Home Office policy of enforcing asylum seeker evictions amid winter and Covid .
Andy Burnham , deputy mayors Bev Hughes and Richard Leese , and nine council leaders have written to Priti Patel to express “ profound concern ” over those asylum seekers who receive a negative decision soon being evicted .
During the first coronavirus lockdown earlier this year , the evictions of refused asylum seekers from Home Office accommodation were paused due to considerations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spread of the virus .
But the government did not repeat this policy for the second national lockdown , with Home Office sources telling The Guardian last month that refused asylum seekers were again expected to leave the country and would not receive support .
This was despite a court order being issued that instructed the Home Office to halt evictions due to public health concerns and in light of the judge concluding that “ the harm and risk can not readily be reversed ” .
Councils were not informed about the change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 15th and allowed asylum evictions to restart .
The government was criticised by councillors for the lack of engagement and consultation with local authorities .
With Greater Manchester placed in Tier 3 , local leaders have declared that they are continuing the scheme ‘ A Bed Every Night ’ and taking a stand against an evictions policy that would “ only serve to make extremely vulnerable people more so ” .
The ABEN initiative aims to offer regular short-term accommodation for every rough sleeper in Greater Manchester .
Burnham has recently announced that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extended amid increased need .
Below is the full text of the Greater Manchester leaders ’ open statement .
Across Greater Manchester we are committed to supporting the Government in our shared ambition to eradicate rough sleeping .
This week we have written to the Home Secretary to convey our profound concern at the possibility that those in the asylum system who have received a negative decision could start to be evicted from accommodation .
With no recourse to public funds the reality for many is homelessness and destitution .
The timing of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ navigate cold weather and ongoing infection risks from Covid-19 is of grave concern .
In Greater Manchester we are proud to accommodate and support individuals with No Recourse to Public Funds ( NRPF ) as part of A Bed Every Night .
This gives people the opportunity to have somewhere safe to stay and receive support to regularise their status and find stable accommodation .
We see people often stuck in a system for many years who are not able to work and support themselves and contribute to our economy during these challenging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to rough sleep we need to bring an end to the hostile environment .
It requires a cross departmental review of the No Recourse regime that goes beyond knee-jerk policy decisions driven by the need to reduce contingency accommodation .
This only serves to create pressure and cost elsewhere in the system .
We as Local Authorities along with our voluntary sector colleagues feel that pressure .
The cost to individuals is perhaps immeasurable but certainly significant .
We know that trust is the foundation on which everything else follows .
Working with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , moved from one end of the country to another as part of an asylum system that has often failed them means building trust can be hard .
This is why we will not be complicit in Home Office policies which seek to deport people because they have found themselves destitute and street homeless .
It will not eradicate rough sleeping ; it will only serve to make extremely vulnerable people more so by pushing them further away from the services and support they so desperately need .
Rough sleeping is not one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of one service or department .
It is a concern for us all , a symptom of a broken system .
During our response to Covid-19 we have managed to do things differently , protecting people from rough sleeping and destitution , irrespective of immigration status .
The government must not resume evictions for those with a negative decision at a time when the risks of Covid-19 and of rough sleeping and destitution remain .
Andy Burnham , Mayor of Greater Manchester Baroness Bev Hughes , Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester Sir Richard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ & Leader of Manchester City Council Allan Brett , Leader of Rochdale Council Paul Dennett , Leader of Salford City Council Sean Fielding , Leader of Oldham Council David Greenhalgh , Leader of Bolton Council David Molyneux , Leader of Wigan Council Eamonn O ’ Brien , Leader of Bury Council Brenda Warrington , Leader of Tameside Council Andrew Western , Leader of Trafford Council Elise Wilson , Leader of Stockport Council This statement is also supported by : Jon Lord , in his capacity as Chair and on behalf of Greater Manchester @ @

Greater Manchester mayoral and local authority leaders have released a joint statement today pledging that they “will not be complicit” in the Home Office policy of enforcing asylum seeker evictions amid winter and Covid.
Andy Burnham, deputy mayors Bev Hughes and Richard Leese, and nine council leaders have written to Priti Patel to express “profound concern” over those asylum seekers who receive a negative decision soon being evicted.
During the first coronavirus lockdown earlier this year, the evictions of refused asylum seekers from Home Office accommodation were paused due to considerations around the impact of homelessness on the spread of the virus.
But the government did not repeat this policy for the second national lockdown, with Home Office sources telling The Guardian last month that refused asylum seekers were again expected to leave the country and would not receive support.
This was despite a court order being issued that instructed the Home Office to halt evictions due to public health concerns and in light of the judge concluding that “the harm and risk cannot readily be reversed”.
Councils were not informed about the change in policy that took place on September 15th and allowed asylum evictions to restart. The government was criticised by councillors for the lack of engagement and consultation with local authorities.
With Greater Manchester placed in Tier 3, local leaders have declared that they are continuing the scheme ‘A Bed Every Night’ and taking a stand against an evictions policy that would “only serve to make extremely vulnerable people more so”.
The ABEN initiative aims to offer regular short-term accommodation for every rough sleeper in Greater Manchester. Burnham has recently announced that the flagship homelessness reduction scheme is being extended amid increased need.
Below is the full text of the Greater Manchester leaders’ open statement.
Across Greater Manchester we are committed to supporting the Government in our shared ambition to eradicate rough sleeping.
This week we have written to the Home Secretary to convey our profound concern at the possibility that those in the asylum system who have received a negative decision could start to be evicted from accommodation. With no recourse to public funds the reality for many is homelessness and destitution. The timing of this through the winter months as we navigate cold weather and ongoing infection risks from Covid-19 is of grave concern.
In Greater Manchester we are proud to accommodate and support individuals with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) as part of A Bed Every Night. This gives people the opportunity to have somewhere safe to stay and receive support to regularise their status and find stable accommodation. We see people often stuck in a system for many years who are not able to work and support themselves and contribute to our economy during these challenging times.
To fully prevent the need to rough sleep we need to bring an end to the hostile environment. It requires a cross departmental review of the No Recourse regime that goes beyond knee-jerk policy decisions driven by the need to reduce contingency accommodation. This only serves to create pressure and cost elsewhere in the system. We as Local Authorities along with our voluntary sector colleagues feel that pressure. The cost to individuals is perhaps immeasurable but certainly significant.
We know that trust is the foundation on which everything else follows. Working with people who have been victimised, trafficked, moved from one end of the country to another as part of an asylum system that has often failed them means building trust can be hard. This is why we will not be complicit in Home Office policies which seek to deport people because they have found themselves destitute and street homeless. It will not eradicate rough sleeping; it will only serve to make extremely vulnerable people more so by pushing them further away from the services and support they so desperately need.
Rough sleeping is not one person’s problem or the responsibility of one service or department. It is a concern for us all, a symptom of a broken system. During our response to Covid-19 we have managed to do things differently, protecting people from rough sleeping and destitution, irrespective of immigration status. The government must not resume evictions for those with a negative decision at a time when the risks of Covid-19 and of rough sleeping and destitution remain.
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester
Baroness Bev Hughes, Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester
Sir Richard Leese, Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester & Leader of Manchester City Council
Allan Brett, Leader of Rochdale Council
Paul Dennett, Leader of Salford City Council
Sean Fielding, Leader of Oldham Council
David Greenhalgh, Leader of Bolton Council
David Molyneux, Leader of Wigan Council
Eamonn O’Brien, Leader of Bury Council
Brenda Warrington, Leader of Tameside Council
Andrew Western, Leader of Trafford Council
Elise Wilson, Leader of Stockport Council
This statement is also supported by:
Jon Lord, in his capacity as Chair and on behalf of Greater Manchester Housing Providers


labourlist--2020-12-09--Chancellor, we won’t let you push millions of families further into poverty

“ I ’ ve been able to get broadband for the first time .
It ’ s already made a huge difference .
I ’ ve been able to search for work much quicker and my kids have been able to study.
” This is just one of the many comments that Unite Community members have shared with me about the difference the extra £20-a-week Universal Credit payment has made to their lives .
But the increase , implemented at the beginning of the pandemic , is due to end in April , snatching away a lifeline for struggling families @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enormous strain on all our lives , and we now face unemployment rates as high or higher than the early 1980s .
For many , this will be their first experience of unemployment even though , shamefully , taxpayers ’ money has been topping up low pay as a form of ‘ corporate welfare ’ supporting profitable employers for years .
It was during the 1980s that I spent a couple of years on the dole searching for work that didn ’ t exist .
I remember walking for miles for interviews because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fare , and having no money for a hot meal .
It ’ s those experiences that drive me to make a difference – I know just how hard it is for those struggling to make ends meet .
For many families , an extra £20 a week has meant not having to worry so much about topping up the electricity meter to cook a hot meal or keep their homes warm as winter approaches , paying the rent , putting food on the table or shoes on their feet .
It has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ treats for the kids , not sending them hungry into class and not having to rely on growing debt or family and friends to buy school uniforms .
For many , it will mean being able to enjoy some semblance of a Christmas .
I ’ m proud to have been part of the team that , alongside furlough , negotiated the Universal Credit increase with government as part of a pandemic response package .
While it ’ s still grossly inadequate and we continue to demand a social solidarity package – not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thirds of average earnings – the Universal Credit uplift achieved an immediate £1,000-a-year lifeline to millions desperately in need .
Exactly because that increase was such a significant and welcome move to bolster low and middle-income families ’ living standards , its removal will not just be a huge loss to them as individual households , but will hit hard the local economies and communities that have benefited in difficult times from an ability to spend that money locally .
And , as the Unite member whose job search has been significantly supported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would agree , the additional sum is , for many , a route to getting back into work .
The IMF and World Bank both warn that this is not the time for governments to attack the incomes of the poorest and that to do so would be to imperil recovery .
Yet , during last month ’ s comprehensive spending review , the chancellor was silent on the Universal Credit uplift , just as he was on increasing statutory sick pay to a level that would enable low paid workers to self-isolate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presses ahead with slashing Universal Credit in April , we will see state support fall to its lowest real-terms level since 1990-91 , its lowest ever level relative to average earnings .
The basic level of out-of-work support prior to the March boost was – at just £73 a week ( £3,800 a year ) – less than half the absolute poverty line .
The impact of mass unemployment will be savage and heart-breaking ; the inevitable surge in homelessness , food bank use , mental health and demand for local services immediate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asking Unite members stand in solidarity with our class and to call on councillors and others to join us in a coalition to force the government to retain the £20 increase , end the waiting time and extend payment to all legacy benefits .
Rishi Sunak talks the talk with his levelling up agenda , but time and time again he shows himself wedded to ideological dogma , applying short-term sticking plasters where urgent and radical action is needed .
Chancellor , you must get real about the long-term misery this virus and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people , long after a vaccine and demand returns .
Full employment and a vibrant economy will take time to rebuild .
You can not allow March ’ s Universal Credit increase to be just another shot of emergency first aid – and we will not stand by if you fail to act and push millions of families further into poverty next spring .
Join Unite Community ’ s Universal Credit Facebook live event this evening at 6pm-7.15pm .
Steve will be speaking along with Mirror journalist and poverty campaigner Ros Wynn-Jones , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a benefit claimant .
Click to sign up here .

“I’ve been able to get broadband for the first time. It’s already made a huge difference. I’ve been able to search for work much quicker and my kids have been able to study.” This is just one of the many comments that Unite Community members have shared with me about the difference the extra £20-a-week Universal Credit payment has made to their lives. But the increase, implemented at the beginning of the pandemic, is due to end in April, snatching away a lifeline for struggling families.
The Covid-19 crisis has put an enormous strain on all our lives, and we now face unemployment rates as high or higher than the early 1980s. For many, this will be their first experience of unemployment even though, shamefully, taxpayers’ money has been topping up low pay as a form of ‘corporate welfare’ supporting profitable employers for years.
It was during the 1980s that I spent a couple of years on the dole searching for work that didn’t exist. I remember walking for miles for interviews because I couldn’t afford the bus fare, and having no money for a hot meal. It’s those experiences that drive me to make a difference – I know just how hard it is for those struggling to make ends meet.
For many families, an extra £20 a week has meant not having to worry so much about topping up the electricity meter to cook a hot meal or keep their homes warm as winter approaches, paying the rent, putting food on the table or shoes on their feet. It has meant being able to buy fruit and treats for the kids, not sending them hungry into class and not having to rely on growing debt or family and friends to buy school uniforms. For many, it will mean being able to enjoy some semblance of a Christmas.
I’m proud to have been part of the team that, alongside furlough, negotiated the Universal Credit increase with government as part of a pandemic response package. While it’s still grossly inadequate and we continue to demand a social solidarity package – not ‘welfare benefits’ equal to two thirds of average earnings – the Universal Credit uplift achieved an immediate £1,000-a-year lifeline to millions desperately in need.
Exactly because that increase was such a significant and welcome move to bolster low and middle-income families’ living standards, its removal will not just be a huge loss to them as individual households, but will hit hard the local economies and communities that have benefited in difficult times from an ability to spend that money locally. And, as the Unite member whose job search has been significantly supported by finally being able to afford broadband would agree, the additional sum is, for many, a route to getting back into work.
The IMF and World Bank both warn that this is not the time for governments to attack the incomes of the poorest and that to do so would be to imperil recovery. Yet, during last month’s comprehensive spending review, the chancellor was silent on the Universal Credit uplift, just as he was on increasing statutory sick pay to a level that would enable low paid workers to self-isolate without additional financial hardship.
If he presses ahead with slashing Universal Credit in April, we will see state support fall to its lowest real-terms level since 1990-91, its lowest ever level relative to average earnings. The basic level of out-of-work support prior to the March boost was – at just £73 a week (£3,800 a year) – less than half the absolute poverty line.
The impact of mass unemployment will be savage and heart-breaking; the inevitable surge in homelessness, food bank use, mental health and demand for local services immediate. This is why we’re asking Unite members stand in solidarity with our class and to call on councillors and others to join us in a coalition to force the government to retain the £20 increase, end the waiting time and extend payment to all legacy benefits.
Rishi Sunak talks the talk with his levelling up agenda, but time and time again he shows himself wedded to ideological dogma, applying short-term sticking plasters where urgent and radical action is needed.
Chancellor, you must get real about the long-term misery this virus and growing unemployment will continue to inflict on people, long after a vaccine and demand returns. Full employment and a vibrant economy will take time to rebuild. You cannot allow March’s Universal Credit increase to be just another shot of emergency first aid – and we will not stand by if you fail to act and push millions of families further into poverty next spring.
Join Unite Community’s Universal Credit Facebook live event this evening at 6pm-7.15pm. Steve will be speaking along with Mirror journalist and poverty campaigner Ros Wynn-Jones, Labour’s Jonathan Reynolds MP and a benefit claimant. Click to sign up here.


labourlist--2020-12-10--Momentum to campaign at conference for elected Labour general secretary

Left-wing organisation Momentum is preparing to launch a campaign for the Labour Party to change its rulebook and enable all members to have a say in who takes up the top job of general secretary in future .
In the new year , Momentum will focus on the aim of passing a rule change at Labour conference in autumn 2021 that would scrap the current system of the national executive committee ( NEC ) appointing the party ’ s most senior official .
Under the rulebook now , Labour ’ s ruling NEC interviews candidates , draws up a shortlist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ general secretary .
This is how incumbent David Evans , favoured by Keir Starmer for the post , was chosen this year .
The rules state : “ The general secretary shall be elected by party conference on the recommendation of the NEC ” .
But in effect the post holder is elected by the NEC , then rubber-stamped in a vote at the next annual conference .
Momentum is seeking to reform the process .
The campaign group sees Evans as a “ key factional player ” who is implementing a “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ via suspensions and limits on motions permitted for debate at local level .
The Labour left activists argue that the role is already heavily politicised , as evidenced – they say – from the way Evans has told local parties not to pass motions of solidarity with Jeremy Corbyn or motions of no confidence in the leadership .
Commenting on the campaign plans , Momentum co-chair Gaya Sriskanthan said : “ The unjust suspensions of Labour members has revealed just how much unaccountable power the general secretary of the Labour Party has.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ role must be democratically accountable to the half a million Labour members who are the life and soul of our party.
” It is not yet clear what shape the democratic process would take .
LabourList understands that a one-member-one-vote system along the lines of party leadership contests is one option , but Momentum ’ s national coordinating group , which has agreed the campaign , has not yet settled on a specific mechanism .
It is thought there will also be battles at conference over policy motions around the ten pledges put @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Activists are expected to propose motions along those lines to test his commitment to the policies .
Momentum is set in January 2021 to launch a “ participatory ” process and platform , through which its members will be able to have their say on which policy motions the organisation campaigns for at party conference .
“ If the Labour Party is to get back into government for the first time in over a decade , it must become a dynamic movement for democracy that lives and breathes the values we want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the co-chair said .
Referring to the idea of Labour MPs no longer being automatically reselected as well as the general secretary change , Sriskanthan concluded : “ From an elected general secretary to open selections , this is how we build that movement.
” Momentum ’ s leadership changed hands in July , with co-founder Jon Lansman being replaced by climate activist Sriskanthan and firefighter Andrew Scattergood .
Lansman had also encouraged debate over general secretary elections .
In a recent LabourList interview , Lansman – who unsuccessfully ran for the post @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to see Labour ’ s general secretaries elected on a fixed-term basis , with the NEC doing the interviews and shortlist .

Left-wing organisation Momentum is preparing to launch a campaign for the Labour Party to change its rulebook and enable all members to have a say in who takes up the top job of general secretary in future.
In the new year, Momentum will focus on the aim of passing a rule change at Labour conference in autumn 2021 that would scrap the current system of the national executive committee (NEC) appointing the party’s most senior official.
Under the rulebook now, Labour’s ruling NEC interviews candidates, draws up a shortlist and holds a vote to appoint the general secretary. This is how incumbent David Evans, favoured by Keir Starmer for the post, was chosen this year.
The rules state: “The general secretary shall be elected by party conference on the recommendation of the NEC”. But in effect the post holder is elected by the NEC, then rubber-stamped in a vote at the next annual conference.
Momentum is seeking to reform the process. The campaign group sees Evans as a “key factional player” who is implementing a “crackdown on rights of party members” via suspensions and limits on motions permitted for debate at local level.
The Labour left activists argue that the role is already heavily politicised, as evidenced – they say – from the way Evans has told local parties not to pass motions of solidarity with Jeremy Corbyn or motions of no confidence in the leadership.
Commenting on the campaign plans, Momentum co-chair Gaya Sriskanthan said: “The unjust suspensions of Labour members has revealed just how much unaccountable power the general secretary of the Labour Party has.”
She added: “This highly politicised role must be democratically accountable to the half a million Labour members who are the life and soul of our party.” It is not yet clear what shape the democratic process would take.
LabourList understands that a one-member-one-vote system along the lines of party leadership contests is one option, but Momentum’s national coordinating group, which has agreed the campaign, has not yet settled on a specific mechanism.
It is thought there will also be battles at conference over policy motions around the ten pledges put forward by Starmer as a leadership candidate. Activists are expected to propose motions along those lines to test his commitment to the policies.
Momentum is set in January 2021 to launch a “participatory” process and platform, through which its members will be able to have their say on which policy motions the organisation campaigns for at party conference.
“If the Labour Party is to get back into government for the first time in over a decade, it must become a dynamic movement for democracy that lives and breathes the values we want to see across the country,” the co-chair said.
Referring to the idea of Labour MPs no longer being automatically reselected as well as the general secretary change, Sriskanthan concluded: “From an elected general secretary to open selections, this is how we build that movement.”
Momentum’s leadership changed hands in July, with co-founder Jon Lansman being replaced by climate activist Sriskanthan and firefighter Andrew Scattergood. Lansman had also encouraged debate over general secretary elections.
In a recent LabourList interview, Lansman – who unsuccessfully ran for the post in 2018 – said he would like to see Labour’s general secretaries elected on a fixed-term basis, with the NEC doing the interviews and shortlist.