Press releases

LRC calls on the Party to allow all the candidates on to the ballot paper

8th June 2010

The LRC is calling on party members and trade unionists to lobby the Labour Party NEC to lower the threshold to 5% to allow all candidates onto the ballot paper for Labour leader.

Please email acting Party leader Harriet Harman at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and Party General Secretary Ray Collins at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). The NEC meets tomorrow afternoon, so please email tonight!

John McDonnell MP today has had a surge of support for his leadership challenge taking his nominations to within sight of the qualification level.

Commenting on recent events in the Labour Party leadership race, contender John McDonnell MP, said…

“The Party leadership has got itself in a real mess over this leadership election.

“The solution is for the party to simply lower the qualifying bar and allow all the candidates on the ballot paper. It is perfectly possible within the existing rules for this to be done. Reducing the bar to 5% would allow all existing candidates to get on the ballot paper and the Party to have a full and open debate about its future direction.”

Unite and CWU conferences called for all six candidates to be on the ballot paper. The LRC, along with Compass, LabourList, Save the Labour Party and the Fabians all called on MPs to co-ordinate their nominations for all six candidates to be on the ballot paper.