Union leaders have demanded more time to mull controversial plans to end the one-member-one-vote electoral system. Keir Starmer’s plans to dramatically reform Labour’s rulebook have been thrown into doubt after trade union leaders demanded they be delayed.
According to sources, the Mirror was told Wednesday by trade union leaders that Keir Starmer’s last-minute plans to overhaul rules governing MPs as well as leadership elections were met with suspicion.
The TULO (the Trade Union and Labour Party Liaison Organisation), the meeting was short and Mr. Starmer did not get the support of major unions.
The most shocking move of the leadership is the proposal to return to the electoral college’s system for leadership elections. This would result in the vote being split between MPs, trade unions, and constituency labor party members (CLPs) at every election for a leader.
This would represent a major shift from the ‘one person one vote’ system Ed Miliband introduced to weaken union influence and give all votes equal weight. Mr. Starmer also wants to cut the number of motions put to Labour Party conference delegates.
He also wants to increase the threshold at which MPs are subject to a threat of deselection. The current situation is that if three-quarters of the members or a third of the affiliates oppose their candidacy, they can start a contest.
Trade unions demanded more time following the TULO meeting. Unite called for the plans to be delayed and rescheduled for a special conference at a later date.
To get Labour’s conference in Brighton next Wednesday, Mr. Starmer must have the support of at least some of the party’s major affiliated unions, Unison, Usdaw, Unite, and GMB. A source said Mr. Starmer left the meeting saying he needed “time to reflect” on his next move.
If Starmer refuses to change or abandon the plans, it will set the stage for a fight at the Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee. This group is made up of MPs and union leaders. On Friday, they could be asked to vote to push ahead with the plan and submit it to delegates.
It is unlikely that the NEC will approve the plans without backing from several unions. Angela Rayner, Deputy Leader, is also rumored to be skeptical. The leadership’s plan would raise the bar for a selection challenge to half of both members and affiliates.
The TSSA union has called the shift back to the electoral college “the sort of thing associated with Victorian Tories”, while Unite boss Sharon Graham has strongly made the case for Labour to ditch “old wars” between Left and Right amid Covid.
Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, meanwhile, called it an attempt to “bounce through” new rules which disenfranchise members with a “grubby stitch-up deal” with unions.
While GMB figures were not thought to have been at the TULO meeting, Unison, a strong supporter of Mr. Starmer’s, was said to be among those calling for more time.
While some of the movement’s more Left-wing unions, including CWU, TSSA, and the FBU were unlikely to back the leadership, those close to Mr. Starmer will be anxiously awaiting news from the GMB, Unison, and Usdaw.
More broadly, the row will be seen as a key test of whether Jeremy Corbyn’s successor has control over his party. When Mr. Starmer chaired a meeting of his shadow cabinet on Tuesday, he said the plans would not be presented “on a take it or leave it basis”.
He said: “I’m prepared to take suggestions and ideas and to have a conversation and try to build consensus but the principles are important to me.
“I hope TULO will support me, I believe these changes are good for their members and they strengthen our link. I know that this is difficult – change always is – but I think these changes are vital for our party’s future.
“I have said I will make the Labour Party the party of working people, I am determined that the Labour party I lead focuses on the country, on the concerns of voters, so we need party reforms that better connect us with working people re-orient us toward the voters who can take us to power.”
Mick Whelan, Chair of TULO, said: “Keir Starmer and Labour’s affiliated Trade Union Leaders had a positive meeting this afternoon to discuss the rule changes that the Labour leader would like to bring to conference in Brighton.
“There was broad consensus on the need to refocus the Labour party on the country and concerns of working people. Discussions will continue.”