Labour First
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| Founder | John Spellar |
|---|---|
| Legal status | Limited Company |
| Purpose | Political |
| Headquarters | Oxford |
Secretary | Luke Akehurst |
| Website | Official website |
Labour First is a British political organisation associated with the British Labour Party, founded in 1988. Born out of Labour's struggles with, and eventual expulsion of the Trotskyist entryist Militant organisation, it sees itself as protecting the tradition of the old "Labour Right", a historic alignment of anti-communist trade unions (e.g. the former ISTC, now Community and the former EEPTU, now a part of the GMB) with moderate social democrat and democratic socialist members and politicians.[1] It aims to keep the Labour Party safe from the influence of the "organised Hard Left", and thus ensuring that Labour remains as electable as possible in the Westminster parliamentary system through policies that make a difference for ordinary people.[2] It calls these aims "Clause One Socialism", after Clause One of the Labour Party constitution, which sets the Labour Party's aims as maintaining a Labour Party in parliament. It also represents the historic pro-NATO, pro-USA and pro-nuclear deterrent tradition in the party, and is pro-European Union.
Organisation
Labour First is an organisation of freely associating Labour Party members who participate by sharing their personal contact details with the organisation. It organises petitions, endorses moderate candidates in Labour Party elections, and runs a series of meet-ups and events both at Labour Party conference and in the country at large. It is funded through individual donations from Labour Party members, with which it employs a national organiser, and maintains a network of volunteer local organisers.
Links with Progress
Historically, Labour First was a very distinctive organisation to Progress, a more recent Labour party factional organisation on the right of the Labour party, originally associated with New Labour. The rise of Jeremy Corbyn and Momentum in the Labour Party have seen Progress and Labour First, while remaining distinct organisations with distinctive traditions, carry out more joint activities, including joint endorsement of moderate candidates in internal party elections.
References
- ^ "Where next for the Labour Right". Jacobin magazine.
- ^ "About Labour First". Labour First.