“Watch what you say” in emails and private messages, Black warns members

Labour Party ruling body member Ann Black has warned party activists to “watch what you say” in private emails and WhatsApp messages because they risk suspension “or worse” if they express “unacceptable views”.

In a report on Labour’s national executive committee (NEC), Black wrote today that she was “disturbed to discover that emails which the sender believes to be private are treated in the same way as public postings on social media” in disciplinary proceedings.

Black wrote: “A word of advice: if you get angry about repeated requests from “Keir” or “Angela” for money or support, watch what you say. Your response will not be read by Keir or Angela but by staff, who may report it if you express unacceptable views, and you may be suspended or worse.”

She said that “so-called private WhatsApp groups are not private either”, adding: “You have been warned.” Black stressed to members, however, that anything emailed to her “is, and will remain, confidential”.

In the write-up of a meeting of the complaints and disciplinary sub-committee on March 8th, Black also noted that NEC panels continue to determine dozens of complaints cases each month, with antisemitism still the largest single category.

The NEC member highlighted that one third of those suspended from the party wait more than 18 months waiting for a resolution and that “around 80 members are currently affected”.

Black added: “As suspended members cannot stand for internal positions or public office, they are already being punished for years even if they are eventually cleared.”

She also expressed concern about “potential inconsistency” across different NEC panels, explaining that “some panels can and do impose more severe, or more lenient, penalties than those recommended”.

Black told readers that NEC members agreed the new £3,500 spending cap for selection campaigns will not include “the costs of travel, accommodation, childcare, accessibility provision for disabled candidates, or other personal expenses”.

Local parties were issued with new guidance for selecting parliamentary candidates in January that included a new spending cap of £1.50 per member, which would see a maximum spending limit of £3,500 applied to selection campaigns.

LabourList exclusively revealed last week that the Labour Party has allowed 14 constituencies with local parties to start selecting their new parliamentary candidates imminently ahead of the next general election.

Black said there “seemed no particular logic” to the seats chosen, highlighting that they include a Labour majority of 32.8% and a Tory majority of 18% and that “regional capacity doesn’t explain why four of the 14 are in the north-west”.

“I am concerned about less winnable seats going first as candidates will hang back and wait for nearby safe seats, and am interested in comments from those with local knowledge,” she wrote.