Labour must trust its BAME members enough to let us have a democratic voice

For far too long, people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds in Labour have not had our voices heard; challenging racism in the party’s ranks proves inconvenient, with too many barriers preventing us from playing an integral role in the party’s affairs. This is best demonstrated by the failure of BAME Labour.

But how loud are our voices heard? Prior to becoming an MP, I joined BAME Labour, after attending UNISON Black members conference, and paid for the privilege. I was disenfranchised, however, never receiving any communication from the committee, an invitation to their annual general meeting or any activities. In 2017, when the party had up to 70,000 BAME members, just 731 people voted in the BAME Labour elections to the national executive committee (NEC). The organisation is an undemocratic fiefdom without rules or real democracy.

The recommendation from the democracy review for a democratic wing in 2018, which would automatically include all BAME members and require no fee, was whole heartedly supported across the party – from Momentum to the GMB. Designed in detail by an all-BAME, cross-factional working group, the proposal was approved by the NEC in March 2021, voted on at conference, and subsequently codified in the party’s rulebook. So far, so good – a win for representation and self organisation.

But today, in a bizarre U-turn, the Labour leadership is attempting to row back on that promise, ripping up the party rulebook. The democratic BAME structures of a national committee and conference are being indefinitely postponed, to be replaced by a supposedly revived BAME Labour. This is a body that the party itself has reportedly recognised is not fit for purpose.

This reversal to unilaterally inhibit BAME members’ attempts to organise within their own party, without consultation, is deeply damaging and risks undermining the work of hundreds of BAME activists and disenfranchising thousands of members in the process, which supports the outcome of the long-awaited Forde report, which found a “hierarchy of racism” operating within the party – confirming the existence of a culture of racism amongst some senior staff in Labour HQ.

The report highlighted the levels of racism that many Black activists experience when organising within Labour. One witness to the Forde report said: “I write this submission to you feeling degraded, overlooked and insulted on so many levels. I am a prime example of why so many say the party has a problem with race.” Another said: “It is quite interesting to hear how some of the staff refer to activists or politicians of colour when they don’t agree with them. They use far more extreme or dangerous references to them.”

The leadership’s response to the claims was lacking; this is a ‘kick in the teeth’, for those in the Black Parliamentary Labour Party and beyond. We still have much to change when leading anti-racists like Maurice Mcleod are blocked from standing as MPs, while white men are able to indulge in jokes about having the “worst tan for a Black man” and still get selected without issue, it’s clear that racism remains an issue within Labour

The issue is not limited to anti-Black racism, either. Polling has shown that one in four Muslims have experienced Islamophobia within the party – a devastatingly high proportion. This unacceptable levels of racism needs addressing, as Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and David Evans have rightly recognised.

The required changes are unlikely to be achieved through the current moribund BAME Labour – as the leadership itself tacitly concedes. A briefing for today’s NEC reportedly highlights the fact that the affiliate “does not currently function effectively to support BAME members to have a voice and be well represented in the decision-making structures of the party”.

“More concerning,” the briefing continues. “Is the fact that the BAME Labour website is still active and receiving membership applications (including membership fees) and neither BAME Labour, nor the Party, are able to confirm where these funds are being held.” This does not sound like an organisation worth reviving.

It is clearly not an organisation that can deal with the mounting problems of anti-Black racism and Islamophobia within the party. That requires an empowered BAME section able to set its own agenda on anti-racism within the party, which might sometimes include friendly criticism of its own party’s handling of racism claims.

Labour’s rulebook states that BAME members have the right to self-organisation in the promised new BAME structures: full of democratic life, with an annual Conference and elections to an active committee. But today’s proposal would hand power back to a dysfunctional and undemocratic BAME Labour affiliate, with BAME members forced to pay for the privilege of being represented (badly).

This is the wrong move if we are to set the agenda on race issues within the party. We need to restore trust with BAME communities across the country ahead of the next general election. Labour must trust and empower its BAME members enough to let us have a democratic voice. I urge all NEC members to uphold the rulebook today and ensure that BAME members are offered real representation.