Rule changes, conference update and planning ahead – Ann Black’s final NEC report

National Executive Committee Meeting, 8 September 2026

Vice-chair Peter Wheeler, deputising for Shabana Mahmood, welcomed members including Kieran Maxwell of ASLEF (not to be confused with Keiran O’Neill) who replaces Cerys Way.  The NEC paid tribute to Peter Snape, Lambeth councillor Annie Gallop, and Hywel Lloyd, founder of Labour’s Coast and Country group and former chair of the environment campaign SERA, who died at the age of just 52.

General secretary Hollie Ridley highlighted the smooth transition to a new government and developing close relations between party and ministers.  Conference, less than three weeks away, would introduce the new prime minister to the country.  Holborn & St Pancras would choose a candidate to succeed Keir Starmer from an NEC shortlist: the local party has a strong campaigning record, with Labour winning 22 out of 30 seats in May’s elections.  Labour’s financial position had strengthened, and new laws would ban crypto-currency and limit foreign donations.  Local government reorganisation was paused pending further legal consideration, and elections in 2027 would now be to existing councils, not the new shadow authorities.  This was Hollie’s last report and she thanked staff and colleagues, who praised her service through difficult times.  She promised to continue campaigning alongside us every step of the way.

NEC members were keen to see progress on reselections (aka trigger ballots) for sitting MPs, and on choosing candidates in constituencies without Labour MPs.  Reselection procedures were approved in March but paused during the leadership contest, and Hollie promised to raise the need for urgency with the new general secretary.  I passed on concerns about the eligibility of trans women to stand for women’s places on the national policy forum and as delegates to women’s conference, and asked for national guidance to be published.  Hollie stressed that the women’s programme on Saturday would be as inclusive as possible within the law, and would look at including an explanation on the website.

Treasurer’s Report

Mike Payne gave his last report, as he will also leave the NEC at conference.  He has done a sterling job in his four years, getting across all the detail and ensuring that the party lives within its means and satisfies the auditors.  He thanked the finance team for their dedication and hard work, wished his successor Ruth Brady good luck, and reminded the NEC that we all share collective responsibility.  Some members felt this would be easier if they knew whether membership was rising or falling, and even as a member of the business board I do not have these numbers.  In my own CLP membership has stayed unchanged since February 2026 after a period of decline, but I have no idea if that is typical.

Finished Business

On a personal note I was immensely satisfied to have completed the review of CLP funding promised in 2018.  The current system was introduced in 2011, in consultation with the then NEC constituency representatives Johanna Baxter, Ellie Reeves, Luke Akehurst and myself.  Local parties receive a small amount per member, starting at £1.50, raised to £2.50 in 2017 and indexed to inflation.  In addition the national party pays for election insurance, Contact Creator and other IT tools and one conference delegate pass for every CLP.  The rest of the income from subscriptions goes into NEC funds intended to promote democracy and diversity and local campaigns and improvement, with CLPs able to bid for grants.  The first two elements – the share per member and the central CLP package – have generally worked well, but the NEC funds, not so much.  Some good ideas have been supported but many CLPs were unaware of the funds’ existence, money tended to go to those with contacts or to national and regional priorities, and there was little evaluation of how the money was spent.  Also the model was unstable in that when membership was high the funds were awash with cash, and if numbers fell too low the funds could even go negative.

I cannot thank Mike and the finance team enough for recognising the need to resolve all this, and for working through the technical details.  Appendix 5 of the Rulebook has been revised to lay out the new settlement, which retains the share per member and a central package with the IT elements significantly enhanced.  The NEC development fund will be relaunched on a sustainable basis, with more publicity, clearer criteria and proper feedback.  Mike and I convened a joint meeting between the business board and the NEC CLP and equalities representatives before taking the paper to the full NEC, which then endorsed it.  While the business board has to decide overall affordability within budget constraints, evaluation of bids and allocation to projects will remain in the hands of the NEC Development Fund Panel, led by the CLP and equalities representatives who have no guaranteed seats on the business board.

READ MORE: Labour Party Conference 2026: Full LabourList events programme, revealed

Rule Changes

The NEC agreed to put forward a few amendments tidying up minor inconsistencies, and also to remove the requirement that Independent Complaints Board members must not have belonged to a political party for five years.  This severely limits the pool of available professionals, and as they are subject to sanctions if they act unprofessionally or with political bias, the restriction is considered unnecessary.

I am still seeking a rule change which enables the socialist societies to fill vacancies on the NEC and the NCC without undue delay.  In 2024 the NEC officers overrode the rules requiring them to wait till the next annual conference, twice for NEC vacancies and once for an NCC vacancy, using a provision which basically allows the NEC to ignore any rules at will.  Chapter 1 Clause VIII.4.C states that

“Where the rules do not meet the particular circumstances, the NEC may have regard to national or local custom and practice as the case may require.”

which has no clear connection with NEC or NCC membership. [For those interested in history the confusion dates back to 2018 when Momentum scrapped the general principle of runners-up filling vacancies without substituting coherent alternatives – see here ]

The governance and legal unit had promised to update the rules but nothing happened in 2025, and I am determined to succeed before I leave.  For the NEC the socialist societies can simply use the same process as the trade unions.  The NCC is more complicated because in 2024 the NEC officers argued that socialist society vacancies must be filled immediately but it was fine to leave CLP and trade union places empty until the next conference, which feels wrong.  I am awaiting proposals.

Mike Payne raised the plight of a handful of CLPs whose funds were frozen because the treasurer had left and the bank would not grant access to the national party or anyone else.  He suggested that in exceptional circumstances, and at the request of CLP officers, the rules should allow the national finance team to ask the bank to unlock the accounts.  I support the principle and, based on personal experience, I recommend that CLPs review their signatories annually and update them where officers have moved on.

The NEC then elected six assistant chairs:  David Agbley and Sonya Davis as the only two trade union nominees, plus Ellen Morrison-Smith (30 votes), Elsie Greenwood (26), Gurinder Singh Josan MP (24) and Angie Davies (24).  Cat Arnold received 10 votes and will hopefully get a chance in future.

Conference Update

Vaughan West, chair of the conference arrangements committee (CAC), outlined arrangements.  Conference will open at 11 a.m. on Sunday 27 September and close around lunchtime on Wednesday 30 September 2026.  There are important regional briefings on Sunday morning so most delegates should arrive on Saturday, or on Friday if attending the national women’s conference on the Saturday.

Nearly 800 CLP delegates are registered, but because some CLPs send more than one, typically members in around 100 CLPs will be unrepresented and have no say in elections to the national policy forum and the national constitutional committee.  Further, the youth NPF representatives are elected only by delegates aged under 27 within their region, and Vaughan promised to bring a report on the number of young delegates to the NEC.  Members also asked about raising points of order, calling more trade union delegates in debates, training for accessibility stewards, the shuttle bus, and ensuring that all events and participating organisations were fully inclusive and respected the rights of all members.

On another issue I was shocked that our delegates booked accommodation early but had their reservations cancelled in August by the provider, by which time all prices had risen.  Apparently this is not uncommon, and hotels simply re-list the same rooms at even higher rates.  I didn’t think this was a matter for the CAC, but I wonder if the party can do something to stop such blatant profiteering.

Planning Ahead

Kate Bolger, interim director for nations and regions, gave an update on Operation Second Term, working closely with Labour MPs and their local parties.  Incumbency gives them an advantage, but only if they use it to publicise their work.  Brody Anderson, director of digital, then ran through campaigning in an ever more chaotic and fragmented media environment, engaging with Reddit, TikTok, Facebook and NextDoor, and developing Project FYP.  Being old I didn’t understand much of this –  Google tells me that FYP stands for “For You Page”, the main, personalised video feed on social media apps – but it all sounded impressive.

Recent by-elections in Gorton & Denton, Makerfield and Greater Manchester provided valuable testing grounds and information on the best ways to reach voters where they live their lives.  Labour was involving members as content creators and providing targeted training for MPs.  NEC members asked about the impact of Restore, using social media to grow and mobilise membership, funding for mayoral elections and dealing with online disinformation.  London were running special sessions for new members, regions were evaluating readiness at constituency level, and mayoral elections would be key to the general election.  Though the south-east region, with 91 Westminster constituencies, has no mayors at all…

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Deputy Leader’s Report

Lucy Powell celebrated Bev Craig’s election as mayor of Manchester with 47% of the first round vote.  The campaign involved a massive air and digital effort, in contrast to Westminster elections where CLPs are the basic unit.  There would be a further local by-election for Bev’s council seat and the high-stakes by-election in Holborn & St Pancras.  Members are urged to turn out for councillor Sagal Abdi-Wali, chair of Labour’s national women’s committee.  Internationally Labour steadfastly defended Israel’s right to exist while opposing illegal settlement activities which undermine any prospect of a two-state solution.

In her role as education secretary Lucy assured Cat Arnold that existing ECHPs (education, health and care plans) for children with special education needs and disabilities (SEND) would continue to be honoured beyond 2030, while she was consulting on a broader offer available to all children who need it.  Adult skills budgets were allocated by devolved regions in many areas and some made decisions which we might not like, for instance restricting ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) to “worthy” recipients such as Ukrainians.  A paper in the autumn would set out which powers would be devolved, but there were outstanding issues on how to hold mayors to account, and what happens where there are no mayors.

Leader’s Report

Andy Burnham was celebrating Lettuce Day, and he has now outlasted Liz Truss’s 49 days as prime minister.   He recognised continuing cost of living pressures and was looking for ways to make a difference, including the cap on bus fares and removing VAT from electricity bills.  A ten-year plan was needed to rescue communities left adrift.  Every decision was led by Labour values, including Ed Miliband setting out policy on the Middle East with care, precision and balance.

I stressed the need for visible change within two years, or we will not get to a ten-year plan.  I also asked about electoral reform:  Alex Sobel’s amendment to the representation of the people bill was ruled out of scope, but the democracy minister Florence Eshalomi told parliament that the prime minister remains committed to electoral reform and she would consider next steps.   Andy confirmed that he still supported proportional representation; he was interested in whether conference would renew its support, and he would take views into account when preparing the next manifesto.  However conference can only express an opinion if delegates prioritise electoral reform for debate, and it is not being promoted by either the left or the right (sorry moderate) slates.  Till then current policy stands, with PR backed by both CLPs and unions.

Ellen Morrison-Smith, also attending her last full meeting, made a final plea for disabled people not to be thrown under the bus.  Even Tory and Reform voters did not back attacks on welfare.  Andy acknowledged her powerful voice and said there would be no crude cuts:  the Labour way was to reduce housing benefit bills by building more council homes.  In Manchester he consulted disabled people regularly and introduced free bus travel all day, a measure which he was carrying forward as prime minister.  He recognised that industrial relations within Great British Rail were not good, the legacy of 30 years of privatisation, and his summer train travels had clearly brought him face to face with the problems.  He would talk to Yvette Cooper about NHS pay and the need to treat all levels in the staffing hierarchy equally.

NEC members praised Andy’s moral and practical commitment to end homelessness, supported sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements, and called for talks with Unite to mitigate the impact of job losses at Jaguar Land Rover.  However there were sharp divisions on production in the Rosebank oil and Jackdaw gas fields.  Some members, backed by the socialist society SERA, drew attention to the deepening climate crisis and the fact that these developments would not reduce household bills, while the unions put jobs first, arguing that the 2024 manifesto committed Labour to approving both licences until transition to net zero was accelerated.  Andy said that energy secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh would make an announcement in due course on legal and practical rather than ideological grounds.

Again we ran out of time, with twelve members still in the queue and CLP representative Cat Arnold missing out again.  I will repeat my comment from July:  “Back in 2000 Tony Blair always opened the meeting, listening and responding to every contributor, some of whom were not known for brevity.”  When they were party leaders Gordon Brown, Ed Miliband and Jeremy Corbyn also opened NEC meetings and took questions from everyone who wished to ask, before departing for other commitments.  But future arrangements will be up to my successors.

Cabinet Report

Jonathan Reynolds, who served as the NEC youth representative from 2003 to 2005, returned to address the meeting as secretary of state for business and trade.  He said passing the employment rights act was the proudest moment of his political career.  Britain had achieved the best trade terms in Europe with the United States, and tariffs might not go away after Donald Trump’s presidency ended.  We could not aim for net zero by exporting jobs, and most countries funded transition through levies, while we add it to bills.

Members raised issues including zero hours contracts, further improvements to employment rights, and job losses at Jaguar Land Rover and in its supply chains.  Jonathan promised to talk to Pat McFadden about the plight of bus drivers whose cab temperatures reached 40 degrees as a health and safety matter.  Responding to Cat Arnold, who asked about Rachel Reeves’ plans to unify 86 separate local government pension schemes and whether this could release funds for the green economy, Jonathan said that vast amounts of money were involved, and incentives would be needed to keep it in the UK.

The meeting then closed, and we will reconvene in Liverpool on 26 September.  I will try to reply to immediate questions or comments before then, and pass on longer term issues to Cat and Kerry.

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