Was Labour’s NEC misdirected by its General Secretary?
Yesterday, I attended 33-member Labour’s National Executive Committee to consider and decide on the rules for the forthcoming Leadership election. No papers had been circulated in advance. A not uncommon occurrence, but an understandable one in the immediate aftermath of Labour’s General Election defeat. Sadly, as I expected following prior discussions with colleagues, there was no reference in the laid-round papers to the issue of nomination papers for deputy leader, or even a contingency plan in the event of a valid nomination requiring 52 Labour MPs’ signatures on a Deputy Leader nomination paper. I had blogged last week inviting interim Leader Harriet Harman to make sure that the said papers were issued. All to no avail. Worse the NEC papers contained a recommended time and date for the closure of Leader nominations by the Parliamentary Labour Party of 12.30 pm on Thursday 27May – just 9 days away. Leadership contenders only require 33 signatories as there is a vacancy following th
