Burnham calls for immediate review into Labour standing candidates in Northern Ireland

Andy Burnham has said he would have an “immediate review” into the Labour Party policy of not standing candidates in Northern Ireland if he becomes leader, he has announced.

In an article for the Belfast Telegraph, the leadership candidate says that he supports the “principle” of allowing Labour Party members in Northern Ireland to choose whether or not to stand candidates in elections. He says that members may want “a socialist, non-sectarian party to vote for, a party that can appeal to people of all classes and to people of all faiths or none”, and that Labour should not stand in their way if they do.

Labour only started allowing residents of Northern Ireland to join the party in 2003, but does not contest elections there, instead supporting the SDLP. As of last year, there were about 3,000 Labour members in Northern Ireland, and as a Constituency Labour Party (CLP) they have nominated Andy Burnham for leader this year. The decision over standing candidates is reviewed once every parliament, with the next review not currently expected until after next year’s Stormont elections.

Ed Miliband last year drew criticism from the secretary of the Northern Ireland CLP for not allowing Labour candidates to stand there.

In his piece, Burnham writes:

“I am a long term supporter of the principle that the members of the Labour Party in Northern Ireland should have the right to decide when and where they want to stand candidates in elections. If those members decide that at election time the people of Northern Ireland need a socialist, non-sectarian party to vote for, a party that can appeal to people of all classes and to people of all faiths or none, then we should not stand in their way. If elected Leader, I will support an immediate review of the current prohibition on Labour Party candidates and will seek the views of the Irish Labour Party and others, as to how best we can assist the very many Labour Party members and supporters in Northern Ireland.”