Shabana Mahmood elected as chair of Labour’s NEC disputes panel

Shabana Mahmood, MP for Birmingham Ladywood, has been elected this morning as chair of the Labour disputes sub-committee that takes charge of internal party complaints on the national ruling body.

The backbencher won by 18 votes to 11 against Yasmine Dar. Mahmood will now oversee Labour’s disciplinary cases, replacing Dar, who was elected in March 2020 when she won against Momentum’s Jon Lansman.

The post had become vacant as incumbent Claudia Webbe left Labour’s national executive committee (NEC) when elected as a Labour MP in December 2019. Webbe is currently suspended from the party.

Webbe had replaced Christine Shawcroft, who resigned soon after being elected to the role as it was revealed she had defended a party member suspended over antisemitism. She had replaced Ann Black.

Mahmood will hold the post during the period in which Labour will overhaul its disciplinary processes. The party has announced its intention to set up an independent system by December 10th.

Labour’s action plan for the Equality and Human Rights Commission allows time for a party conference to be held before all complaints relating to antisemitism and other forms of discrimination are dealt with by the new process.

The party plans to “pursue independent elements” of the process in the meantime, which can take place without rulebook changes requiring a conference. Such elements include independent scrutiny of complaint handling.

The NEC disputes panel currently hears membership appeals, applications for re-admission to the party, party disputes and conciliation, and operates in a quasi-judicial way to conduct interviews and hearings.

Mahmood was involved in the Labour Together review of the party’s campaign and performance in the 2019 general election. She has been an MP since 2010, and did not nominate a leadership candidate last year.