LabourList readers back full selections for MPs in latest survey

LabourList readers would vote for a full selection process rather than automatically reselect their local sitting Labour MP, our latest survey has found.

Asked whether they would opt to trigger an open contest, allowing the local party to possibly deselect their current representative, 59% of those respondents who identified themselves as Labour members said they would vote for a full selection process. 41% of the members who took the survey said they would vote to reselect their MP.

27% of all respondents indicated that they were either not a Labour member or that they were not currently represented by a Labour MP (and will therefore inevitably be given the opportunity to participate in a full selection, unless an early election is called before it is completed).

Corbynite campaign group Momentum has launched a drive to encourage members to trigger open selections ahead of the next election. Under new rules, the threshold for kickstarting a full process is one third or more of party branches or one third or more of affiliated branches.

LabourList readers also overwhelmingly support Labour’s new Brexit position, with over 78% agreeing with the decision to back a public vote and Remain against a Tory deal or no deal.

Jeremy Corbyn confirmed in an email to members last week that Labour would back a public vote and “campaign for Remain against either no deal or a Tory deal”. The shift in policy follows years of pursuing an alternative plan aimed at uniting Leave and Remain voters.

Responding to the latest LabourList survey, 78.5% of 6,454 respondents said they endorsed the new stance, while just 21.5% answered ‘No’ or ‘Don’t know’.

Most LabourList readers believe Labour has done enough to tackle antisemitism within the party – and that an ‘auto exclusion’ rule for members with a “prima facie case to answer” on the issue should not be implemented.

Keir Starmer and deputy leader Tom Watson have endorsed the idea of automatically excluding members in “prima facie” cases of antisemitism. But 60% of readers and 63% of self-identified members said such a rule change should not be implemented, while 40% of readers and 37% of self-identified members favoured the idea.

For the first time since LabourList surveys were rebooted, John McDonnell has topped the poll of favourite shadow cabinet members. Keir Starmer and Emily Thornberry made up the rest of the top three.

The latest survey saw 56% of respondents select the Shadow Chancellor as one of their three favourite members of the top team, while 38% chose the Shadow Brexit Secretary, who has always previously topped the poll.

Rebecca Long-Bailey has improved her standing again in the popularity poll, swapping places with Tom Watson to come fourth.

1. Are you a member of the Labour Party?

1. Yes – 86.1% (5,554)
2. No – 13.9% (900)

2. Momentum has launched a campaign encouraging Labour members across the country to trigger open parliamentary selections.

Would you vote for a full selection to choose your local Labour candidate or vote to reselect your sitting MP without moving to a full selection?

1. I would vote for a full selection – 46.1% (2,973)
2. I would vote to reselect my sitting MP – 32.5% (2,095)
3. I am not a Labour member and/or I am not currently represented by a Labour MP – 21.5% (1,386)

3. Has Labour done enough to tackle antisemitism within the party?

1. Yes – 50.1% (3,234)
2. No –  36.6% (2,360)
3. Don’t know – 13.3% (860)

4. Tom Watson and Keir Starmer have backed the idea of an ‘auto exclusion’ rule for members with a “prima facie case to answer” on antisemitism. Do you believe that Labour should implement this rule change?

1. No – 60.2% (3,886)
2. Yes – 39.8% (2,568)

5. Labour has decided to back a public vote and Remain against a Tory Brexit deal or no deal. Do you agree with this decision?

1. Yes – 78.5% (5,067)
2. No – 16.2% (1,048)
3. Don’t know – 5.3% (339)

6. Who are your top three favourite shadow cabinet members?

1. John McDonnell – 3,611
2. Keir Starmer – 2,478
3. Emily Thornberry – 1,787
4. Rebecca Long-Bailey – 1,522
5. Tom Watson – 1,496
6. Diane Abbott – 1,352
7. Angela Rayner – 1,253
8. Richard Burgon – 1,088
9. Barry Gardiner – 1,012
10. Dawn Butler – 569
11. Ian Lavery – 524
12. Shami Chakrabarti – 439
13. Jonathan Ashworth – 376
14. Dan Carden – 279
15. Andy McDonald – 215
16. Andrew Gwynne – 179
17. Cat Smith – 176
18. Baroness Smith of Basildon – 156
19. John Healey – 150
20. Jon Trickett – 140
21. Nia Griffith – 107
22. Nick Brown – 85
23. Margaret Greenwood – 63
24. Sue Hayman – 59
25. Tony Lloyd – 57
26. Lord Thomas McAvoy – 53
27.  Barbara Keeley – 39
28. Peter Dowd – 37
29. Valerie Vaz – 35
30. Lesley Laird – 30
31. Christina Rees – 26

The survey was open from 12.30pm on Sunday 14th July until 12.30pm on Monday 15th July. The results are unweighted and from a self-selected sample of readers. Thank you to all 6,454 readers who took part.