Irish Labour vote for UK/Irish ‘hybrid’ party in Northern Ireland

The Irish Labour Party has voted in favour of reforming the way the party organises in Northern Ireland, which would include changing the nature of the relationship between the Irish and UK parties.

At the Irish Labour Party conference this weekend, a motion was put forward recommending the party investigates the possibility of aligning with UK Labour to stand candidates in Northern Ireland – as LabourList covered on Saturday.

Currently, Irish Labour has around 350 members in Northern Ireland, but do not stand candidates in elections. In 2004, UK Labour took the step of also allowing membership in Northern Ireland. The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), an official sister party of the Irish and UK Labour parties, does stand candidates, and their MPs take the Labour whip in Westminster.

The passed motion recommends the Irish and UK Labour parties work together to form a Northern Irish Labour Party, which would stand candidates in Stormont, Westminster, European and local election. Members of the new party would hold joint, full membership of both the Irish and UK parties. The motion also acknowledges that the SDLP should be included in the process.

UPDATE: Following amendments, the actual wording of the passed motion can be read below. Mention of the SDLP seems to have been removed, as has explicit mention of running candidates.

Conference calls on the Irish Labour Party and the British Labour Party to establish a commission of investigation to examine the possibility of forming a Northern Irish Labour Party, which would include the proposal:

That people who join the Northern Ireland Labour Party would be members of the Irish Labour Party and, pending approval from the British Labour Party, would be members of the latter;

And the proposal:that the Northern Irish Labour Party would replace the existing Northern Ireland Members Forum.