Mainstream top CLP nominations for NEC elections

Mainstream have topped the list of Constituency Labour Party nominations for the upcoming NEC elections.

All three of their faction’s candidates made it onto the ballot for the election, securing almost 100 nominations each.

Incumbent NEC member Cat Arnold, standing this year as part of the Mainstream slate, topped the list with 107 nominations, closely followed by Labour to Win’s Jane Thomas.

Arnold said: “A huge thanks for all of the CLPs who have nominated me – I am thrilled to have topped the nominations. I have spent the last two years working hard for members’ rights.

“A massive thanks to Ann Black’s endorsement, who has been a brilliant guide to me over the last two years. I will miss her deeply at the NEC.

“I will continue to fight for opportunities for all – it’s time to reset the Labour Party.”

Arnold will be joined by Kerry Postlewhite, who received 100 nominations, and Jovan Owusu-Nepaul, who received 98.

Postlewhite, chair of Mainstream, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to every CLP and Labour Group that has nominated Mainstream candidates.

“These nominations reflect an appetite across the Party for an NEC that is open, pluralist and rooted in a genuine two-way relationship with members.

“Labour has a renewed hope and energy, and now we need an internal culture that matches it – one where no single tradition has a monopoly on good ideas, where debate is welcomed, trust is rebuilt and members are listened to.”

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Labour to Win’s four CLP candidates also all succeeded in making it onto the NEC ballot, with Jane Thomas receiving 105, Abdi Duale receiving 98 and Angela Davies and Peter Mason receiving 85 each.

Duale said: “These NEC elections are crucial as they determine how labour prepares for the next general election. We need a healthy debate about the future of our party, but we cannot lose the campaigning strength, experience and election-winning approach that brought Labour back into government.

“With populism on the rise, Britain needs Labour to deliver the change people voted for and earn a second term. That’s why the Labour to Win team is returning; to back our members, keep our party election-ready, and ensure Labour remains united, focused on delivering in government, and ready to win again.”

Candidates of the left-wing Centre-Left Grassroots Alliance, backed by Momentum and CLPD, also made it onto the ballot, with Gemma Bolton leading their group with 58 nominations. Yasmine Dar received 54 CLP nominations, while Jess Barnard, who had a delayed start to her campaign due to suspension from the party, received 27.

A spokesperson for CLPD said: “It’s great to see such a lot of support in CLPs for our brilliant and experienced Centre Left Grassroots Alliance NEC candidates, despite efforts under Starmer’s leadership to exclude the left and reduce grassroots engagement.

“They do a great job of speaking up for members and making the case for our Party to be more democratic. I would encourage all members to give Jess, Gemma and Yasmine their top preferences.”

A Momentum spokesperson said: “Congratulations to all of the CLGA-backed candidates for making it onto the NEC ballot. We look forward to campaigning for a strong socialist voice on the NEC.”

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Restoration, a faction focused on promoting working-class values within the party, saw two of their roster of five candidates make it onto the NEC ballot – with Andrew Achilleos and Stella Tsantekidou passing the threshold of five CLP nominations.

Tsantekidou said: “As a newly formed group in Labour we are humbled by the trust that those CLP members that have nominated us have given our candidates.

“When we formed Restoration, we felt that vital Labour traditions were vanishing from the party’s democracy and badly needed to be revived.

“Labour’s historic mission was to give working-class professionals a platform and a voice in parliament. That is what our NEC representatives will fight for. We will fight for that with a pragmatic spirit focused on outcomes over egos.

“We don’t have ‘factional allies’ or ‘factional enemies’ and we strongly believe that if the party isn’t a broad church it is failing.”

Five independent candidates also passed the threshold; George Davies, James Turnbull, John Wiseman, Neeraj Patin and Zahida Abbas Noori.

Nine candidates of the 17 will be elected onto the NEC, with a requirement that at least four of those elected be women.

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