NEC stalls party plan to intervene in BAME Labour over ‘governance concerns’

Labour hopes to intervene in BAME Labour, including installing a new interim committee, reviewing its financial management and governance and mounting a recruitment drive followed by internal elections, LabourList can reveal.

The party’s national executive committee voted to defer a planned vote on the proposals on Tuesday, however, with trade union and left representatives on the NEC among those backing a deferral, according to party sources. It is expected to be considered at the next meeting of the party’s governing body.

A report the party had hoped to see signed off by the NEC on Tuesday, seen by LabourList, says the affiliated group should be an “effective campaigning force at elections”, and play an “essential role in engaging with and representing Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities”.

But it claims the affiliated group “has not functioned adequately for some time”, with no annual general meeting held for years and “significant governance concerns, particularly in terms of financial management and data protection”. Such issues mean the organisation “cannot properly represent its members or be deployed effectively as a campaigning force”.

LabourList has repeatedly tried to contact the group in recent months about its situation and plans for its revival, but not had a response. It was also approached for comment today for this piece.

The paper says that BAME Labour’s constitution allows for the party to take “appropriate action” if the group ceases to work effectively or in accordance with its rules. The report cites the lack of a recent AGM and lack of activity more generally as justification for the party stepping in to “ensure that the organisation can once again function effectively”.

New committee to ‘stabilise’ the affiliate

The temporary measures in the ‘BAME Labour Development Plan’ the NEC was asked to sign off includes launching a new interim committee, intended to:

• “Stabilise” BAME Labour’s current operations
• Review and improve its governance arrangements, particularly financial management and data protection
• Establish “regular contact” with the party
• Ensure it can “fully contribute” to the general election campaign

The committee, if approved, will include four NEC representatives, to “provide NEC oversight” and ensure recommendations are delivered. Gloria Mills, a current executive committee member of BAME Labour who the report says does actively liaise with the party, “shall also be invited to join”.

The four NEC members will then appoint for the remaining four places and determine officer roles. The committee will then obtain the current BAME Labour membership list and launch a recruitment drive, and set up “effective governance and financial controls” to ensure “transparency and accountability” to members and the party, including a new bank account and plans for audited annual accounts.

They will then plan for elections for oficer roles and an AGM, with the new elected committee then taking over the running of the group, though this will be “contingent on the timing of the next general election”.

BAME Labour will be expected to make “appropriate and continuing affiliation fee payments” too once the development plan is completed.

NEC member ‘disappointed’ by deferral

Abdi Duale, a current NEC member and the first Black man elected to the body, said he was “disappointed” to see the paper deferred.

“The party has made great strides to improve diversity and representation. The reintroduction of the Bernie Grant programme was dedicated to training 30 black candidates from across the country.

“But BAME members have consistently been failed by BAME Labour’s inactivity.

“It is vital that BAME members have an organisation that can represent them and mobilise BAME communities in the run up to the election. I’ll make the case again at the next NEC meeting.”

14% of selected candidates BAME as of January; feedback on Bernie Grant

Meanwhile new internal party figures seen by LabourList suggest that as of January Black, Asian and ethnic minority candidates made up 14% of selected parliamentary candidates.

More documents seen by LabourList say that some former participants of the second cohort of the party’s Bernie Grant leadership programme, set up in 2022 to boost Black representation across the party in the light of the Forde report, have secured jobs within Labour. One was recently elected as a councillor, five have stood for selection in non-battleground seats, and others are said to be preparing to run in local council elections.

Feedback showed participants would overwhelmingly recommend the scheme to friends, and scored the programme well overall. One said they were “touched” by how many senior leaders came and spoke to them, exercises  and role plays helped them learn, and a WhatsApp group “gave me confidence to go forward”.

But some of the cohort suggested more recruits should be found outside London, more face-to-face training and networking and post-programme follow-up would be helpful, and the mentoring “didn’t work well” due to mentor time constraints.

Calls for more democratic reforms

Rupa Huq, co-chair of the BAME Parliamentary Labour Party, and her now-suspended, then fellow co-chair Kate Osamor, had written to Labour’s general secretary in December warning of their concerns over BAME Labour’s governance, finances and member engagement.

Their letter, seen by LabourList, asked about NEC intervention and what GS David Evans’ plans were to ensure the affiliate was “fully functional” and able to support the general election campaign.  They said the executive should be dissolved, and fresh one-member, one-vote elections held and BAME members of Labour automatically enrolled.

Kim Johnson, Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside and now acting co-chair of the BAME Parliamentary Labour Party, told LabourList on Tuesday BAME Labour was not “fit for purpose” and had not been for years.

“Members knew this when they voted for rule changes that would put power back in the hands of BAME members of the Labour Party, to provide spaces for us to collectivise and to elect our own directly accountable representatives – just as young and women members of the Party do.”

She said Labour had “disregarded” a previous plan to establish national equalities structures including a BAME members’ organisation. It would be “deeply concerning” if decisions were taken now with no consultation with BAME members or MPs, and provide “just another example” of BAME members being undermined.

“Any agreement on next steps must be in line with the existing rule changes, or come as a result as a wider consultation with BAME members.”

Labour left campaign group Momentum also criticised Labour for not implementing the previous “agreed democratic structures”, calling the rescue plan “another slap in the face to Labour’s BAME members”.

But one NEC source previously told LabourList when previous reforms were ditched that they risked creating bureaucratic structures that meant “huge costs, which are simply not a good use of money in the run-up to a  general election”.

Labour was approached for comment.

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