Corbynsceptics sweep the board in Labour’s ruling body by-elections

Corbynsceptics backed by Progress and Labour First groups have swept the board in the Labour Party’s ruling national executive committee by-elections.

Johanna Baxter and Gurinder Singh Josan have been chosen to replace Corbynites Navendu Mishra and Claudia Webbe as local party representatives on the NEC.

Carol Sewell has been elected by Labour members as the new NEC BAME rep, and will replace former MP Keith Vaz who recently stood down.

In another huge victory for Corbynsceptics today, all three candidates were endorsed by Blairite group Progress and ‘old right’ organisation Labour First.

Full results for CLP reps:

JOSAN, Gurinder Singh – 57,361 – ELECTED
BAXTER, Johanna – 57,181 – ELECTED
TOWNSEND, Lauren – 56,929
BIRD, Jo – 46,150
DRENNAN, Leigh – 30,021
WRIGHT, Cecile – 25,008
SHERRIFF, Paula – 21,088
WILLIAMS, Trish – 10,826
APPS, Peter – 10,071
HOBSON, Deborah – 8,974
WEBB, Chris – 8,413
DENT, Fiona – 7,420
ELLISON, Adam – 6,322
COLLINS, Alexa – 5,669
MIDDLETON, Rick – 4,582
SUTTON, Ray – 4,248
JOHNSTON, Mick – 3,947
OWLADI, Peyman – 2,459

Full results for BAME rep:

SEWELL, Carol – 39.76% – ELECTED
MISHRA, Navendu – 27.45%
JACKMAN, Jermain – 10.66%
AHMED, Hassan – 4.72%
OYEWUSI, Lola – 3.44%
AKHTAR, Fozia – 2.66%
WOOLLEY, Iram – 2.63%
DASGUPTA, Rohit K – 2.15%
SINGH, Rupinder – 2.13%
IQBAL, Chaudhry Qamer – 1.77%
ALI, Shaukat – 1.21%
RAWF, Aram – 0.88%
DEINALI, Omide – 0.53%

Full members who joined the party before November 12th, 2019, were entitled to vote in the internal contests, which ran alongside the UK Labour leader and deputy leader races.

Multiple slates were put forward by organisations belonging to the Labour left, however, with Momentum and the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy backing different candidates.

Leigh Drennan and Lauren Townsend were endorsed by Momentum as potential local party representatives, while the Corbynite network backed Navendu Mishra MP for BAME rep.

CLPD chose also to endorse Lauren Townsend, but favoured Cecile Wright over Drennan on the basis that the previous CLP reps should be replaced by at least one BAME activist.

Jo Bird was endorsed by Jewish Voice for Labour, Labour Left Alliance and Labour Representation Committee, while Deborah Hobson was supported by LRC plus Grassroots Black Left.

Peter Apps, Alexa Collins, Fiona Dent, Adam Ellison, Mick Johnston, Rick Middleton, Peyman Owladi, Paula Sheriff, Ray Sutton, Chris Webb and Trish Williams all ran as independent candidates.