The vital battle for the soul of the Co-operative movement

While the rest of the Labour movement is trying with all its might to remove the Tories from power, there is a distracting but vital battle going on for the soul of the Co-operative movement and the existence of Labour’s sister party, the Co-op Party.

We in the Labour movement have long had a partner in the Co-operative movement through the Co-operative Party. I’m proud to have been a member of both parties for over 20 years. Labour and the Co-op Party have worked together to create a fairer society where profits and power are more evenly shared.

But the Co-op Group, the UK’s sixth largest supermarket chain, owned by its members, is seeking to break their link with the Labour movement by stopping funding the Co-op Party. Their vagueness about the principles that underpin their business have been perfectly exemplified this week by their announcement that they are not committed to fairtrade.

The new leadership of the Co-op Group don’t understand our shared history, or why it is so helpful to the Co-op movement to have a voice in Parliament and on councils. This voice has helped secure the legal underpinning for co-ops, acted to protect shoppers, promoted environmentalism and even won new rights for football supporters.

You can help save the link, by joining the “Keep it Co-op” campaign here.

The Co-op Group’s AGM is in Manchester on 16 May. Ballot packs have just gone out to 2.8 million eligible members under new One Member One Vote rules. If you plan to attend the AGM in Manchester on the 16 May you need to complete Section A of the voting pack. Remember to take your membership card and ID with you to Manchester for the meeting.

Or if you can’t make it to the AGM in person you can vote by proxy. When you get your ballot form please appoint the Chair as your Voting Representative and instruct them to vote YES to all parts of Motions 9 and 10 (using sections B and D of the pack). These are the motions that back the link between the Co-op Group and the Co-op Party.

The Co-operative Group will be making a historic mistake if it breaks the link. Without the co-op movement’s powerful voice in British politics, the Labour Party and communities across the country will all be worse off.

Please make sure your voice is heard and remind other Co-op Group members to vote too. With the most active supporters of the link rightly focussed on the General Election, we mustn’t forget to have our say in securing a co-operative future.