Internal elections: Pro-leadership slate takes huge lead over left in nominations

Candidates on rival pro-leadership and left-wing slates are battling it out for key posts in upcoming internal Labour elections, with moderates racking up four times as many nominations as left candidates in Constituency Labour Party (CLP) nominations.

Elections are being held for the CLP sections of the party’s Conference Arrangements Committee (CAC), which acts as a steering committee helping organise annual conference, and its National Constitutional Committee (NCC), which deals with some disciplinary cases involving Labour members.

And in each, candidates from the pro-leadership group Labour to Win, an alliance between Labour First and Progressive Britain, are among those facing off against candidates from the left-wing Centre Left Grassroots Alliance coalition, which includes Momentum and the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy.

‘Slate is best used for roofs’

Both slates have now succeeded in getting enough CLP nominations for all of their candidates to run in the NCC and CAC elections, ahead of the deadline for CLP nominations at noon on Friday.

But the pro-leadership slate has opened up a commanding lead despite the government’s rocky first year, with candidates averaging at least four times as many nominations as their more left-wing rivals in nominations so far.

Labour to Win has backed Hajira Piranie (31 nominations), Progressive Britain director Adam Langleben (30 nominations), and Lucy Naylor (32 nominations) in the NCC election.

The CLGA has backed Rachel Garnham (9 nominations), Nicodemus Leo (5 nominations), and Dave Levy (7 nominations) in the NCC election.

Meanwhile Labour to Win backed Alice Perry (31) and Alan Olive (25) in the CAC election. Each candidate needed to be nominated by five CLPs.

The CLGA candidates are Jack Ballingham and Jean Crocker (both on 7 nominations) in the CAC election.

Islington North backs Labour to Win candidates

Labour to Win slate candidates, including Langleben, notably won the Labour nomination in now-independent Jeremy Corbyn’s constituency, Islington North.

As it stands, candidates backed by the CLGA and Labour to Win are the only candidates with the requisite five nominations in the CAC election.

Other candidates who have received enough nominations to run in the NCC election include Richard Taylor and John Wiseman.

In his candidate statement, Taylor says he is not part of a slate, adding “slate is best used for roofs”. While Wiseman does not appear to have a statement on Labour’s website, the left-winger appears to be running on a two-candidate slate with Sue Edge, who has one CLP nomination.

The other NCC candidates also only have one or two nominations each.

Subscribe here to our daily newsletter roundup of all things Labour – and follow us on  Bluesky, WhatsApp, Threads, X or Facebook.

• SHARE: If you have anything to share that we should be looking into or publishing about this story – or any other topic involving Labour– contact us (strictly anonymously if you wish) at [email protected].
• SUBSCRIBE: Sign up to LabourList’s morning email here for the best briefing on everything Labour, every weekday morning.
• DONATE: If you value our work, please chip in a few pounds a week and become one of our supporters, helping sustain and expand our coverage.
• PARTNER: If you or your organisation might be interested in partnering with us on sponsored events or projects, email [email protected].
• ADVERTISE: If your organisation would like to advertise or run sponsored pieces on LabourList‘s daily newsletter or website, contact our exclusive ad partners Total Politics at [email protected].