by Chris McLaughlin
Labour MPs behind the alleged nomination papers plot have been branded “wreckers” who risk causing as much damage to the party as the SDP did in the early 1980s.
The charge comes amid mounting anger among party members over the calls for nomination papers to be circulated to MPs in order to open up a leadership election.
The party’s National Executive Committe took just three minutes to dismiss the demands from around a dozen MPs that nomination papers should be circulated in time for conference, which starts at the weekend in Manchester.
No action had been taken by the time Tribune went to press on hints from the rebels of legal action to force the general secretary to release the papers, but there was widespread speculation on the possibility of more ministerial resignations following that of Scottish Office minister David Cairns.
Three MPs have lost official positions after going public with their concerns over Gordon Brown’s leadership.
At the NEC meeting, party chair Dianne Hayter, opened the meeting saying that “the most important item isn’t on the agenda” and called on Mr Collins to make a statement.
He then told the committee that on the basis of legal advice the rebel MPs were “misconceived’ in their view that papers had to be issued under party rules once MPs had requested them.
A call from the chair for the statement to be noted was agreed by assent, though several members had indicated a desire to speak.
Janet Anderson, one of the rebel MPs and an NEC member, was not present.
After the meeting, one NEC member claimed to represent the mood of others when he said: “These people are wreckers. The drip, drip drip damage with these names coming out one after the other is just like defections to the SDP which cost Labour the next election and we were out of power for another 15 years.”
Ms Hayter issued a statement saying that a leadership election when the party is in government can only be held if requested by a majority of party conference on a card vote.
“The Labour Party has followed this procedure for 11 years, as long as we have been in government under these present rules, and it has not required the issue of nomination forms at any time.”
But NEC member Peter Kenyon, who said the committee was right to stop the “opportunism” of the MPs and who has been fighting for the annual release of papers through Save the Labour Party, said they had not been issued in recent years “because no one has managed to draw attention to this issue so publicly previously”.
