Britain needs an effective, campaigning Labour Party

By Oona King

Over the years the Labour Party has become a surrogate family to me. It’s a family that gave me a political home. I’ve met wonderful people along the way and also, admittedly, some crazy aunts and uncles – but we’ve always had shared ideals and optimism. Optimism in our ability to change the world is well-founded. The Labour Party is the only institution to radically shift power and resources in Britain more equitably. It’s our party that has campaigned for, and delivered, more equal access to education, housing, jobs, healthcare, justice and a good standard of living. And while this process has been neither complete nor perfect, it stands in marked contrast to the miserable and misanthropic contribution of the Tories.

I was struck by this yesterday when I sat in the golden chamber of the Lords, listening to a Lib Dem minister defend a Tory policy to remove access to justice for the poorest and least powerful in our society. As ever, the Tories – and their Lib Dem helpers – should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves. Their extraordinary and disgraceful proposal to remove legal aid from the most vulnerable in society – for example disabled children who have suffered medical negligence – proves there are no depths they won’t plumb.

And that’s exactly why Britain needs a highly effective, campaigning Labour Party. It’s why we, as Labour members and supporters, must do everything in our power to make our party the most effective campaigning force it can be. It was the hard work of so many Labour members and activists that prevented David Cameron striding across the threshold of Downing Street on May 6th last year with a clear majority or mandate. While we may not have won the election, we made it harder for the Tories to undo the Labour achievements of the previous 13 years.

But as we look to the next election, and the harsh cuts already made by the Conservative-led government, we need to do much more. We must be a party fit to fight and win the election. It’s not just about beating the Tories, it’s about defending the standards and ideals we value in our big society. The impact of the cuts extends far beyond what most people think. It’s not just making savage cuts to services, it’s about short-changing society. For example, when we cut legal aid for medical negligence cases we don’t only stop individuals from seeking the compensation they’re entitled too, we also reduce standards across the board. Look at the Hillsborough disaster, the thalidomide case and the Clapham rail crash; all involved elements of civil legal aid and led to safety improvements for everyone, whether in healthcare, stadium safety or transport.

So while only the poorest qualify for legal aid, the resulting case law protects us all. And this is fundamentally why Labour exists. By promoting and protecting the rights and needs of the most vulnerable, we make Britain a better place for all of us. The same argument holds true in so many other areas – education, healthcare, housing: we all do better when principles of social justice are upheld.

But we let’s face facts: we haven’t got our message across well enough in recent years. Somehow the Conservatives got ahead of us on the Big Society when we’re the party of cooperatives, mutuals and social enterprise. We need to reclaim this lost ground, and re-assert ourselves as progressives – because sometimes we’re too resistant to change, in fact sometimes we’re too small ‘c’ conservative. And we’re definitely too mono-cultural and full of middle class politicians (yup, it takes one to know one)… We are the People’s Party so we need representatives and candidates who better reflect Britain. And we must be better at involving and listening to people, both inside and outside our party.

That’s why I really hope you’ll take the chance to contribute to the Refounding Labour consultation and share your thoughts about what you love and what you would change about the Labour Party. This is a once in a lifetime chance to remake our party. I know there are only one day left, and it’s a tight deadline. But you only have to write a few lines – and you could cut out 10 minutes of aimless internet surfing instead, to safeguard social justice in Britain.

The Labour Party owes it to vulnerable people across Britain to be strong enough to win the next election. Most of all, we owe it to ourselves.