The National Policy Forum Consultation for 2020

Labour Party members are invited to submit individual responses to the  National Policy Forum Consultation for 2020 which is now open and runs until 30 June 2020. We want to hear your ideas about the values that should underpin our policy platform as we emerge from the coronavirus crisis. Read the consultation documents and have your say here.

Court upholds ban on anti-abortion poster targeting Stella Creasy

From the Guardian (6 May):

Christian Hacking challenged council order over ‘StopStella’ ad on human rights grounds

An anti-abortion campaigner who is banned from displaying a poster featuring an image of a dead foetus alongside a picture of the Labour MP Stella Creasy has failed to overturn a council order against him.

Christian Hacking challenged the imposition of a community protection notice (CPN) after he put up the image of what he said was a “24-week-old aborted baby girl” in Creasy’s constituency in Walthamstow, north-east London.

Creasy, 43, was pregnant at the time. She has been a vocal supporter of women’s right to choose and led a successful campaign last year to extend abortion to Northern Ireland.   ................

......... At Thames magistrates court on Wednesday, the district judge Jonathan Radway dismissed the appeal during a two-minute hearing.

In his written decision, he said: “I find a prolonged static display, intended to last a couple of hours in the busy middle of the day, unavoidable to those entering the town square, of a deeply disturbing image which caused harm to some observers, is beyond the margin of what freedom of expression requires, even for political speech.

“Was the CPN a proportionate response to the situation? After anxious consideration, I have concluded it was.”

Radway said his ruling was “not about the rights and wrongs of abortion”

Full article here

Leadership and NEC ballots: the results in full

These are the results - as reported in LabourList - of the ballot to decide the new leader and deputy leader of the Labour Party, and to decide the vacancies on the NEC.

Keir Starmer has been elected to succeed Jeremy Corbyn as the new leader of the UK Labour Party, with victory on the basis of first preference votes alone. He won 56.2% of the vote against Rebecca Long-Bailey, who came second with 27.6%, and Lisa Nandy, with 16.2%.

In the deputy leadership race Angela Rayner won on the third round with 52.6% of the vote.

Labour leadership results:

Total voting percentages:
Keir Starmer – 56.2%
Rebecca Long-Bailey – 27.6%
Lisa Nandy – 16.2%

Results by section:
Affiliates:
Rebecca Long-Bailey – 16,970 (22.31%)
Lisa Nandy – 18,681 (24.56%)
Keir Starmer – 40,417 (53.13%)
Members:
Rebecca Long-Bailey – 117,598 (29.29%)
Lisa Nandy – 58,788 (14.64%)
Keir Starmer – 225,135 (56.07%)
Registered:
Rebecca Long-Bailey – 650 (5.00%)
Lisa Nandy – 2,128 (16.36%)
Keir Starmer – 10,228 (78.64%)
Total votes returned:
Members – 72.6% (401,564 out of 552,835)
Registered supporters – 95.5% (13,006 out of 13,626)
Affiliated supporters – 35.0% (76,161 out of 217,690)
Total – 62.6% (490,731 out of 784,151)

Labour deputy leadership results:

Round 1:
ALLIN-KHAN, Rosena – 77,351 (16.8%)
BURGON, Richard – 80,053 (17.3%)
BUTLER, Dawn – 50,255 (10.9%) [ELIMINATED]
MURRAY, Ian – 61,179 (13.3%)
RAYNER, Angela – 192,168 (41.7%)
Round 2:
ALLIN-KHAN, Rosena – 88,049 (19.5%)
BURGON, Richard – 88,664 (19.7%)
MURRAY, Ian – 64,560 (14.3%) [ELIMINATED]
RAYNER, Angela – 209,698 (46.5%)
Round 3:
ALLIN-KHAN, Rosena – 113,858 (26.1%)
BURGON, Richard – 92,643 (21.3%)
RAYNER, Angela – 22,8944 (52.6%) [ELECTED]
Labour deputy leader – total votes returned:
Members – 68.8% (380,076 out of 552,835)
Registered supporters – 88.5% (12,065 out of 13,626)
Affiliated supporters – 31.8% (69,316 out of 217,690)
Total – 58.9% (461,457 out of 784,151)

National Executive Committee by-elections.

• Johanna Baxter and Gurinder Singh Josan replace Navendu Mishra and Claudia Webbe as CLP representatives on the NEC.
• Carol Sewell has been elected as the new NEC BAME rep, replacing former MP Keith Vaz who recently stood down.

Full results for CLP reps:

• JOSAN, Gurinder Singh – 57,361 – ELECTED
• BAXTER, Johanna – 57,181 – ELECTED
• TOWNSEND, Lauren – 56,929
• BIRD, Jo – 46,150
• DRENNAN, Leigh – 30,021
• WRIGHT, Cecile – 25,008
• SHERRIFF, Paula – 21,088
• WILLIAMS, Trish – 10,826
• APPS, Peter – 10,071
• HOBSON, Deborah – 8,974
• WEBB, Chris – 8,413
• DENT, Fiona – 7,420
• ELLISON, Adam – 6,322
• COLLINS, Alexa – 5,669
• MIDDLETON, Rick – 4,582
• SUTTON, Ray – 4,248
• JOHNSTON, Mick – 3,947
• OWLADI, Peyman – 2,459

Full results for BAME rep:

• SEWELL, Carol – 39.76% – ELECTED
• MISHRA, Navendu – 27.45%
• JACKMAN, Jermain – 10.66%
• AHMED, Hassan – 4.72%
• OYEWUSI, Lola – 3.44%
• AKHTAR, Fozia – 2.66%
• WOOLLEY, Iram – 2.63%
• DASGUPTA, Rohit K – 2.15%
• SINGH, Rupinder – 2.13%
• IQBAL, Chaudhry Qamer – 1.77%
• ALI, Shaukat – 1.21%
• RAWF, Aram – 0.88%
• DEINALI, Omide – 0.53%

Full members who joined the party before November 12th, 2019, were entitled to vote in the internal contests, which ran alongside the UK Labour leader and deputy leader races.
LabourList comments:
Multiple slates were put forward by organisations belonging to the Labour left, however, with Momentum and the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy backing different candidates.
Leigh Drennan and Lauren Townsend were endorsed by Momentum as potential local party representatives, while the Corbynite network backed Navendu Mishra MP for BAME rep.
CLPD chose also to endorse Lauren Townsend, but favoured Cecile Wright over Drennan on the basis that the previous CLP reps should be replaced by at least one BAME activist.
Jo Bird was endorsed by Jewish Voice for Labour, Labour Left Alliance and Labour Representation Committee, while Deborah Hobson was supported by LRC plus Grassroots Black Left.
Peter Apps, Alexa Collins, Fiona Dent, Adam Ellison, Mick Johnston, Rick Middleton, Peyman Owladi, Paula Sheriff, Ray Sutton, Chris Webb and Trish Williams all ran as independent candidates.

Community Help Network - links in Waltham Forest

Community Help Network

Waltham Forest has a Community Help Network, and helpline, to support vulnerable residents - those over 70, or who are self-isolating in line with NHS advice, and have no access to other community support. You can request help for yourself or an eligible relative; food packs and other parcels can be delivered to residents who need them most.

Free School Meals 

If your child normally has free school meals and is not attending school, they can still have their meal. Your school will advise you about their arrangements, and what to do if you are self-isolating.  To check if eligible click here. Meals may be:

• Packed lunch, hot box takeaways or food hampers collected from your child’s school or another local school.
• Supermarket vouchers which may be emailed to you.
• On site food provision for children attending school. 

Find out more here. 

Ideas to keep busy

The council has a Digital Hub with a range of  online resources: learning materials for children, recreation and eco-friendly activities to do at home, and tips to stay physically and mentally healthy.

Keep up to date with Council Services

Following Government instructions some Council services are reduced to ensure the safety of both residents and staff, but they are trying to ensure vital services continue. You can get up to date information on services and  reaching them here.

LP members - not yet voted in the leadership elections?

This is for members who have yet to vote in the leadership ballot - for whatever reason:

You have until April 2nd to vote, and there is an earlier date for requesting postal vote re-issues: noon next Monday 23 March. ‘Team Labour’ have issued updated advice about online and postal ballot arrangements. This is the full text of the advice:

Reminder emails have now been sent to all those who have yet to vote.

• If you have not yet received your ballot look out for an email from: labourelections@civica.co.uk 
• with the subject line: 'REMINDER: THIS IS YOUR EMAIL BALLOT FOR THE LEADERSHIP ELECTION'.

Make sure you check your spam/junk folder as well as your main inbox. Due to the possible impact of coronavirus on both the Labour Party and our suppliers the Procedures Committee have agreed that the deadline for requesting postal vote re-issues will be brought forward to Monday 23 March (noon). This will allow as much as possible of the more labour intensive process of paper ballot distribution and administration to be completed ahead of any further restrictions being introduced. For the first time members are able to use a self-service portal for email re-issues. This portal will remain available right until the close of the ballot, though we would obviously not recommend you wait until the last minute to request a re-issue.

• The self-service portal is here: labour.org.uk/reissue

Most Labour Party staff are now working from home. This means that our inbound phone line is now closed. Support will continue to be provided by email.

• For general enquiries please email: leadership2020@labour.org.uk
• For any issues relating to membership such as changes of contact details please email: labourmembership@labour.org.uk

WF council: Single Point of Contact for ALL coronavirus questions

We appreciate this is a difficult and worrying time for people in our borough. The council is updating its coronavirus webpage daily and this is the best source for the latest guidance:
https://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/covid19

The council is operating a Single Point of Contact system for ALL coronavirus questions and requests for the support, in order to process requests as quickly and efficiently as possible and prioritise the most urgent needs first:
Public.Health@walthamforest.gov.uk

There are also a number of programmes and hardship funds in operation to support residents in need:
https://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/content/local-welfare-assistance-lwa

Discretionary housing payments:
https://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/content/discretionary-housing-payments

Discretionary council tax reduction:
https://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/content/discretionary-reduction-council-tax

LP members - if you haven't had your Leadership ballot invitation yet

@UKLabour tweeted yesterday: "If you haven't received your ballot for the Leadership contest, don't worry - there's still plenty of time to vote. If you think you should have received yours by now, you can request a reissue at http://labour.org.uk/reissue"

❌ Haven’t got your Labour Leadership Ballot yet? ❌

Here’s what you need to do 👇

➡ If you’re expecting your ballot by email, check your inbox and spam for any email with the subject line The Labour Party - Election of Labour Leader and Deputy Leader 2020 from the address labourelections@cesvotes.com.

➡ If it’s not there, click this link to request an email ballot reissue: http://bit.ly/2IgOaOw

➡ If you’re expecting your ballot by post and not received it yet, you can request a reissue here by emailing: leadership2020@labour.org.uk

Make sure you forward this message to all the Labour Party members you know!

Problems with LP members' ballot invitations

A number of local party members have had messages from the LP office for the leadership elections which refer to the need for members to be on the electoral register for them to be eligible to vote in the leadership ballot. They have unfortunately been advised to email an address that bounces back.

Given the scale of the task of administering this ballot it may well be difficult to get through to anyone, but it might be worth trying one of these alternative addresses if, as a party member, you find yourself in this position:

labourmembership@labour.org.uk

enquiries@lpms-support.com

membershipaction@labour.org.uk

Don't forget that to check if you have actually had the ballot invitation search your email inbox for:

Sender: labourelections@cesvotes.com
Subject line: The Labour Party – Election of Labour Leader and Deputy Leader 2020.