Kate Holman talks to the new leader of the European Parliamentary Labour Party about her priorities and plans with the European elections just five months away
LABOUR in Europe needs to show it is really getting to grips with the bread-and-butter issues that affect people’s lives if the party is to win more support in June’s European elections. That’s the view of Glenis Willmott, newly-elected Labour leader in the European Parliament.
Taking over as head of the 19-strong European Parliamentary Labour Party just five months before those elections, Willmott stresses that the campaign will be her top priority. The former trade union officer – for the GMB – who has been an MEP for just three years, told me she is resolutely upbeat about getting people out to vote.
“We have to prove that it makes a difference if you elect Labour politicians in Europe”, she says, pointing to the recent YouGov survey predicting that Labour will win 29 per cent of the vote and an additional five seats in the European Parliament. “People are a little bit pessimistic at the moment, but I am hopeful. The financial crisis has shown them that we cannot be isolationist. People are saying: ‘Maybe we need to work more closely with our European neighbours.’ These are international problems that need international solutions.
“But people are disengaged from Europe and that is the issue we need to tackle. We have to speak to voters in the language they understand and talk about what is important in their everyday lives. What do the people we represent actually want and how do we fulfil their needs? We need to ask them what they consider their priorities to be. And we need to explain how we are going to tackle problems, particularly the financial crisis across the EU. We have to ensure we are acting to deliver on the issues that really matter.”
Willmott, who became MEP for the East Midlands region in February 2006 following the death of Philip Whitehead, points to an impressive record of campaigning to show that she can institute and pursue practical action. Consumer safeguards, child protection and health, tackling homelessness, workplace safety and jobs for disabled people are among the issues she has championed at EU level.
She won the leadership of the EPLP by the narrowest of margins, getting just one vote more than her rival, East of England MEP Richard Howitt. Will she be able now to unite her colleagues around her? “Absolutely”, she insists. “The leadership campaign was conducted in a comradely fashion. Teamwork is the best way forward. The EPLP is a very talented group of people and it’s a privilege for me to lead them. In the end, it’s all about getting the best out of the party.”
Gordon Brown was among the first to congratulate Willmott. “Glenis will provide excellent leadership of the EPLP and I look forward to working with her as we prepare for the European election
campaign in June”, the Prime Minister said. But will she really get all the backing she needs from Downing Street? “I’m confident about that. At the end of the day, it’s about winning votes for Labour – whether at international or national level. Too often people see us as a little bit remote, but it’s important to get the message across that we
do a job of work and that really it’s just another level of representation.”
As for reviving the vexed question of British membership of the single currency, Willmott regards that as an unnecessary distraction at present. “We have got too much to worry about in terms of the financial crisis. The British public is not convinced about the euro. We will have to make that case some time, but now is not the right time to do it. We have to talk about jobs, about helping people who are losing their homes – these sort of things ought to be our priorities.”
Despite her relative lack of experience in the European Parliament, Willmott is confident that she is equipped for leadership. “I have held senior positions in the trade union movement and worked at a high level in the Labour Party”, she points out. “A lot of the skills I have acquired during that period are transferable to my job in Europe. You have to be able to campaign, negotiate and lead a team.”
There have been women leaders of the EPLP in the past, but not many of them. It is 15 years since Pauline Green left office and before her was the formidable Barbara Castle. “It’s good to have a woman in a position like this”, says Willmott. “I don’t think it’s the most important issue, but we need to demonstrate that women can achieve these goals and encourage more of them to come into politics.”
She pays a generous tribute to outgoing EPLP leader Gary Titley, who held the position for a record six years. “He has done a fantastic job and it’s a hard act to follow. He was very supportive and helpful to me as a new member. He has raised the profile of the EPLP both in the Labour Party and nationally.”
Labour is part of the Socialist Group in the European Parliament, which recently adopted its manifesto for the 2009 elections. Willmott welcomes the commitment to strengthening social Europe. “We are ready for the European elections. It’s a matter of getting the campaign going. And now I am leader, I intend to do just that.”
