Labour reissues call for PM to resign as police issue 20 initial ‘partygate’ fines

Labour’s ruling body, the national executive committee (NEC), will meet today. LabourList revealed last night – minutes after NEC members received the news – that three more groups are set to be proscribed by the party. The Alliance for Workers’ Liberty (AWL) is being banned on the basis that its members are entryists to Labour, similar to the proscription of Socialist Appeal, while the Labour Left Alliance (LLA) and the Socialist Labour Network are being banned due to their close links to the other organisations proscribed last year, particularly Labour Against the Witchhunt and Exile. Momentum described the news as “yet another example of a Labour leadership obsessing over purging the left”. Labour MP Clive Lewis also criticised the move in a tweet. Sienna also reported that neither Martin Forde QC nor his much-awaited report, the Forde Report, are expected to be at the meeting later today, despite previous assurances. NEC members from across the factional spectrum have expressed frustration over the latest delay.

LabourList has also revealed that the Labour Party plans to hire 20 trainee organisers, at a cost of £1m. The trainee organisers will be treated as a strategic reserve and sent wherever they are most needed, giving the party flexibility in the run-up to a general election. Labour left members have criticised the move – decided in a meeting on Friday – given the job cuts made by the party in recent months, but also the fact that the money will come from the Labour development fund, which local parties bid to for money to support their local campaigning. The left has accused the leadership of misappropriating funds by blocking local party bids for money to pay for the new organisers. Reacting to those who opposed the plans on Friday, one NEC member said the criticism was “bizarre, incomprehensible and completely inappropriate” and it “felt like they were trying to throw the general election campaign”.

Breaking news this morning: 20 initial fines are being issued for parties in Downing Street that broke lockdown rules. The police will not be naming the individuals or confirming which events the fixed penalty notices relate to. The Guardian reported yesterday that the Met will announce “around 20 fines related to the most straightforward cases, though more are expected to follow”. Responding to the news, Labour has reissued its call for Boris Johnson to resign. Angela Rayner said: “The buck stops with the Prime Minister, who spent months lying to the British public, which is why he has got to go.”

Elsewhere on LabourList, Labour will attempt today to force Boris Johnson to release information relating to his involvement in the controversial appointment of Evgeny Lebedev to the House of Lords. Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh yesterday demanded the government “throw the book” at P&O Ferries over the mass redundancies the company announced earlier this month. We also have a piece from Northumbria police and crime commissioner Kim McGuinness on the need to devolve power to effectively address poverty.