I call on you to:

1. Demand a full NEC vote on the part of the report of the Organisation Subcommittee that reference the outworkings of the Northern Ireland Working Group.

2. Vote down this part of the report.

Please do so on the basis of fairness and due process, and on the accuracy of the report's content.

On due process: serious questions have been raised throughout this process in relation to its transparency, the decision-making process and the balance of Working Group members. A number of NEC members were specifically prohibited from membership of the Working Group on the basis that they have a record of supporting representation in NI, while no such rule was enforced on those who have previously opposed it. The lack of balance and open-mindedness to evidence calls into question the efficacy of the process and has resulted in a report that fails to take seriously the many efforts to address concerns raised in a practical, pragmatic and politically efficient manner.

On content: based on initial reporting, the report makes old arguments about purported problems without any serious interest in the solutions that have been put forward. These include, for example:

The existence of the SDLP - despite the fact that PES 'sister parties' coexist with mutual benefit across France, Belgium, Poland and any number of other European countries; with the political convenience of SDLP and gatekeeping democracy valued over the desire of Labour's sister party, the Co-Operative Party, which supports representation in NI as well as the majority of affiliated trade unions. No justification is given to the apparent irrelevance of the multi-party proportional electoral system in NI, the terminal electoral decline of the SDLP which has gone down in voter popularity consistently for over 20 years, policy disagreements between Labour and the SDLP on matters of serious concern like reproductive freedom or even the possibility of mutually-beneficial electoral strategies.

The Good Friday Agreement - without real understanding of the nuanced legal advice on this issue, political consideration of how the institutions of the GFA are really defended through enfranchisement or the range of actions that LPNI could take to assuage concerns around a fundamentally political 'perception of bias'. This 'perception' is, as we all know, an attack that will be lobbed by all sides regardless of our position because it's in their self-interest as political organisations; it is not a justification for allowing other political parties to dictate Labour's policy, internal organisational matters or electoral strategy. Nevertheless, appeasements exist, such as binding commitments written into LPNI's constitution and by-laws; and positioning LPNI within an established regional governance framework.

The authors of the report accept that the NI CLP has members from all traditions and is committed to operating on a non-sectarian and cross-community basis yet suggests that the prominence of the union flag in party branding would be perceived otherwise. This is a quite bizarre implication that a simple graphic design feature is reason enough to deny representation and uniquely Labour solutions to one of the UK's longest NHS waiting lists, worst homelessness crises and one of Europe's worst mental health crises, along with every other matter of devolved policy; and to exclude one out of the four nations from Labour's social justice mission.

Finally, attention was also given to LPNI's membership which, it is argued is too minor to operate as a regional party. This fails to note that LPNI's membership was previously the largest of any party in NI at approx. 2000 and the drop-off is likely a result of fatigue and disillusionment at the lack of representation and electoral activity. This is especially true when NI-based Labour Party members pay the same fees to the party without the same rights of membership.

These issues and more that may have concerned you are expanded upon here: https://www.labourpartyni.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/535/2024/11/LPNI-Response-to-the-Labour-Party-NEC-Review-2022-.pdf  

I encourage you to take some time to read this.

This report is not something that the Labour Party can stand over. The matter of organisation is not something that should be delegated to a small working group and then rubber stamped as final. The full NEC should take serious consideration and have a say. This report should not be the end of the process but an invitation to work with Labour members in Northern Ireland alongside other stakeholders, such as the trade unions, on addressing the issues raised in a sensible way and set out a roadmap to delivering to party members and affiliates their full rights and the people of Northern Ireland a desperately needed Labour electoral offer.