Monday Briefings
UPDATE: Momentum positions on Immigration and Brexit
The officers of Momentum’s National Coordinator Group met and, after consultation with the leadership, have decided to support the NEC Statement on Brexit. It is essential we support the leadership and unite the Party in a run-up to a possible snap election. They also recommend to oppose Composite 13 on the basis that it contradicts the NEC statement and have no recommendation on Composite 14.
Tomorrow, support Composite 20 on Immigration. It is essential to extend migrants’ rights, by taking a number of measures including by ending detention centres, ending ‘no recourse to public funds’ policies, and scrapping all Hostile Environment measures.
Composites to be debated today….
Momentum are currently supporting composites on working hours, Palestine, and Yemen. At the time of publication, discussions are still ongoing with regards to other policy areas being debated today, including Brexit and Immigration. Please look out for subsequent communications via text and WhatsApp.
Support the Working Time Composite for a 4 Day Week
Working time is a huge industrial and political issue in the UK and it is one that Labour should lead the way on with a bold pledge to deliver a four-day week. Full time workers have longer hours than almost any other country in Europe, but productivity lags behind countries like France and Germany and ten years on from the crisis workers still haven’t had a pay rise.
Moving towards a shorter working week is a hugely popular policy. It can help us tackle gender inequality, encourage business investment, address under-employment and it should be one of our demands to address the challenge technology poses to jobs. When workers are under record levels of stress, reducing working time should be a key part of redressing the balance. It’s a bold pledge that will cut through with voters – it shows exactly the sort of ambition that demonstrates how transformative a Corbyn-led government will be.
Andrew Towers, CWU
Ethical Foreign Policy – Support the Palestine Composite
This year the Labour and Palestine network drafted a motion in support of the Palestinian people, that highlights the escalating attacks taking place against them, and to their collective rights to self determination and return to their homes.
The motion highlights the need for a determined show of solidarity to confront the Trump sponsored ‘Deal of the Century’, a concerted attempt to destroy the Palestinian cause by stopping all vital funding to the humanitarian agency UNRWA for Palestinian refugees, increasing the siege of Gaza, rapidly expanding illegal settlements, and Israel’s ongoing plans to illegally annex large areas of Palestinian land that was occupied by force in 1967.
The motion calls for Labour to address this by adopting an ethical and internationalist foreign policy, in line with Britain’s own historical responsibility and legal state obligations: ending arms sales to Israel and trade with illegal Israeli settlements.
Matt Willgress, Labour and Palestine
Britain Must Cease Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia’s bombardment of Yemen has led to 85,000 infant deaths from starvation and preventable disease and millions of people being driven to the brink of famine. These atrocities have been actively enabled by the UK government, which is deeply embedded with the Saudi regime. Today, Conference will have the opportunity to support a composite supporting the Shadow Cabinet position of supporting an arms embargo and an independent enquiry. If passed this composite will play a key role in developing Labour’s foreing policy, under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, away from complicity with the Gulf State dictatorships and towards a foreign policy based on solidarity, respect for human rights, and international law.
Disabled Conference Arrangements Committee
Voting on the DCAC will happen between 9am and 4pm in the Balloting Area. Both CLP delegates and affiliates will have a vote. Momentum are supporting Wayne Blackburn (L1219739), who is also supported by Disability Labour.
Yesterday at Conference
Labour Against Private Schools’ motion was passed by a large majority. The motion concerned commits the party to ‘integrate all private schools into the state sector’ using mechanisms including the withdrawal of tax exemptions and other de facto subsidies, preventing universities from admitting more than 7% of private school students (in line with the overall proportion of the population), and redistributing private schools’ endowments, investments, and properties. This motion orients the Labour Party to take a more robust position on private education than it ever has in the past, and in so doing continue developing its framework for an education system that works for the many. In addition, progressive composites on the NHS and on the rights of migrant women were also passed.
Just a note on….reference backs on the NPF
Yesterday there was confusion and frustration as numerous delegates called for reference back on the National Policy Forum report. Reference back on the NPF reports is a relatively new mechanism, having been introduced for the first time in 2017. Despite improvements to the overall direction of policymaking in the Party, the NPF remains a flawed institution, and continues to produce reports which are theoretically policy documents, but in reality do not outline any new policies at all. However, it is also important to emphasise that the actual impact of the instrument is in reality limited, and it should not be over used. Also, delegates should note that both hand votes and card votes are weighted towards the number of people that different organisations represent, meaning that having the majority of hands in the air does not necessarily prove there is a majority.