Open Letter to Labour Party NEC and Democracy Review Panel.
Thursday, 5 July 2018.
Dear NEC and Review Panel members,
Re : Leeds Conference on constitutional reform of BAME Labour.
The recent Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority (BAME Labour) conference in Leeds, held on Saturday, 30 June 2018, provided an opportunity for members of the Labour Party to feedback on the suggested constitutional reforms as recommended by a Review Panel established by the leader's Jeremy Corbyn's office, to facilitate feedback on the important Labour Party Democracy Review.
The event was attended by close to 200 people representing black and ethnic minority Labour Party members from across the country, including a huge delegation from Momentum Black Caucus.
Following the conference, we wish to raise a number of important matters; firstly we believe that the late distribution of consultation documents restricted the debate and was entirely unsatisfactory. In addition whilst there was an opportunity for feedback and discussion, there was no opportunity the pass motions or amend the Panel recommendations.
We also believe that the failure to provide Halal food was a serious error of the organisers, given we were meeting in Leeds and had a hugely diverse attendance from Muslim communities across the region.
Notwithstanding these concerns, we believe the event was an important first step, in starting a conversation about tackling racism in wider society, and within the Labour and trade union movement contextualised through the framework of race and class analysis. .
This was a recurring theme throughout the event, whereby members cited numerous examples where Constituency Labour Parties and Trade Unions have failed to advance the cause of black and ethnic minority representation and worse still, we heard examples where comrades/members were reported as being complicit in subjecting Black and Asian and ethnic minority members to racial and religious discrimination.
An important concern was the extent to which the review panel were suggesting that the definition of which ethnic groups is included in definition of BAME Labour was raised by Unison delegate Gloria Mills and reiterated by Chair of the MBC, Professor Cecile Wright.
We were reassured, by the response form the conference Chair, and NEC member Claudia Webbe, who clarified that the current definition, which relates to non-white Labour Party members, was not up for review. MBC believes this represents an important "red line" in any reconstituted black and ethnic minority, Labour Party movement.
The event also made it clear that it found it anomalous that only black and ethnic minority Labour Party members were being charged an additional £5 pounds to become members of BAME Labour whilst no other liberation group in the party is subject to such a charge. The question was why are BAME Labour Party members subjected to this disparity?
We were also deeply concerned to find out that BAME Labour had no access to its membership database, could not send out communications to its membership, and have no access to the membership fund that had accrued over time. We were informed that tens of thousands of pounds lie dormant in a Labour Party bank account, constituting the sum total of Black, Asian and ethnic minority membership fees that have been paid throughout the last 20 or so years. MBC is of the strong view that this money should now be handed over to a newly constituted BAME Labour leadership to help fund rebuild and relaunch BAME Labour.
The BAMEmembership database of both the Labour Party and Momentum should be made available and shared with a newly constituted BAME Labour Group.
In addition the consultation, agreed with the Review Panel recommendations in their entirety and was adamant about ensuring the full representation at all local, regional, national and international levels of the Labour Party, the Trade Unions and Momentum, was non negotiable and should be required and underpinned by any new Labour Party constitution.
The restoration of a national BAME Labour conference was seen as an absolute priority in ensuring the revitalisation and restoration of a dynamic black and ethnic minority focused policy agenda, to meet the challenge of increasing racism and religious hatred within post Brexit Britain. It was made absolutely clear from MBC delegates and the wider participants that we need to develop, a Labour Party policy manifesto that addresses racial/class inequality that can demonstrably deliver substantive reductions, in all major areas of racial/class inequality, within our lifetime.
Suggested constitutional guaranteed representation of the Labour Party and Trade Union movements on the BAME Labour, national executive, conferences and policy forums were also discussed. Conference was clear that there should be no automatic right of representation from Constituency Labour Parties or Trade Unions, some of whom may or may not, have prioritised the issue of race equality and black representation.
We would argue, representation should be conditional on CLP’s and TU’s meeting a minimum standards/criteria relating to the extent to which race equality policy and black and ethnic minority representation had been adopted as a priority and where progress towards the goal of full inclusivity was demonstrable.
We repeat, MBC believes that there should be noautomaticright to representation on BAME structures for those sections of the Labour Party and the wider Labour movement, who failed to deliver on advancing the cause of racial equality and improved black representation.
The consultation event also suggested the creation of a BAME Labour Compliance Unit that would produce an annual audit, to be presented at the annual BAME Conference, which assessed levels of black and ethnic minority representation, policy support and adoption of BAME Labour policy priorities of all those wishing to take up their place within BAME Labour constitutional framework.
We recognise that within the Labour Party and wider Labour movement individual organisations were each on their own individual journey towards race/class equality with some making better progress than others..
Any constitutionally guaranteed positions in BAME Labour structures, should have to be earned and accessed, by ensuring that all applicants were committed to and were making actual and demonstrable progress towards building an inclusive Labour Party.
The consultation event noted the declining number of African and Caribbean men within the party. Whilst this was true generally, this was particularly noticeable for younger black men. MBC supports all efforts in ensuring gender parity and representation within our movement, and in particular with a focus on black women. Given the reality of the declining representation of black men, MBC believes it's now time for the adoption of policy requiring all BME shortlistswithin both the Labour and trade union movements. Conducting an internal race equality audit, of all Labour Party and Trade Union elected and employed staff would provide a baseline from which annual progress could be measured.
We are concerned that the review panel in presenting the findings of this consultation event, fully reflects the broad range of concerns expressed.We will certainly be looking closely at what is presented to the Labour Party National Executive, and will be assessing how this compares with the feedback given at the consultation event.
We believe that the consultation event marks an important first step towards democratising the Labour Party,and, in particular,BAME Labour. We confirm our intention to ensure that the highest possible progress is made in adopting a constitution that is likely to support our efforts in building the most dynamic, largest and effective black and ethnic minority campaigning group in Europe. We intend to continue to build our movement and to maintain a watching brief on the developments within the party and report back to the wider movement on progress made.
Regards and solidarity,
Momentum Black Caucus, Executive.
