How to Deselect Your Labour MP
Join the Labour Party., Gather support for deselection in your local area., Understand properly what deselection means., Organise passing motions of no confidence in your MP, in Labour Party and in union branches., Gain a majority in the trigger...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Join the Labour Party.
If you are not already a member of the Labour Party, being a member is the best way to have a say in who your MP is.
You should also join a union or another affiliated group which you are eligible for, because they have a large say in the deselection process.
It is important to be active in these groups and in your CLP (Constituency Labour Party).
If you are well known, it is easier to gain support and to have your voice heard, which makes a hard process such as deselection more manageable. -
Step 2: Gather support for deselection in your local area.
Find out if many other labour party members agree that your MP should be deselected.
A good first step is to find out if there are any groups which are already established in your area who campaign for deselection, who could help you.
Once you have a small group of people, it could be much easier to win over others to your case.
One way of doing this is talking about political differences that you and other members may have with your local MP, for example if there is a conflict between the left and right wings of the party, or by discussing other ways you are dissatisfied with the work they are doing.
Once you have found out what people think, you can explain what deselection is and why you think the MP should be deselected.
It is also crucial to gather support in union branches as well as with general members of the Labour Party.
Without a wide enough range of support, the deselection may fail. , Deselection is the process of preventing an MP from standing for the same seat in an upcoming election.
It may be difficult to win people over to your case if you cannot explain this.
Similarly you must have proper knowledge of your motives for wanting to deselect an MP, especially if it is for political reasons.
Make sure you understand the reasons for your political differences, for example by reading up on the history of the Labour Party, especially the differences between New Labour and traditional socialism, and by keeping up with current events.
That way it may be much easier to gain support for the deselection process. , You may not have to fully write out a motion.
You may be able to find motions which have already been passed or debated in branches in different regions, which can be a good base for this.
These motions of no confidence have no formal effect, but they have a big psychological effect on your local branch and are good for growing your support base, ready to go forward to the next step.
If you have a lot of confidence, you can also write a motion saying that your CLP intends to try to deselect your MP.
If it is passed, it is a really good confidence boost and a good way to get the deselection campaign organised. , This ballot was introduced in the 1990s to make it easier for MPs to defend their seats.
Each trade union branch, party branch and affiliated organisation (such as the Fabians for example) is given a single yes/no vote each.
If over 50% of them are in favour of automatically allowing the MP to continue in their role, then no deselection will occur, however if more than 50% are in favour of deselecting their MP, this triggers an open contest in which the MP has to face other candidates.
Crucially, in the normal electoral college the role of unions is limited, but in this trigger ballot, it is not, which often helps the sitting MP as in the past union branches have been likely to support them over the membership.
For example, in 2004 an MP was not deselected because there were more than 20 union branches, most of which fell onto his side, and only 4 local party branches.
And in addition, while all party branches will meet and vote on whether or not to endorse the current MP, in some cases a single local union official can decide for all the branches of that union in an area. , The most difficult part of deselecting an MP is definitely winning the trigger ballot.
However, it's important to take the process through to the end.
Find a candidate who you feel represents the views of your local party better, and help them to gain enough support to replace the current MP.
If they are successful, you have a new parliamentary candidate. -
Step 3: Understand properly what deselection means.
-
Step 4: Organise passing motions of no confidence in your MP
-
Step 5: in Labour Party and in union branches.
-
Step 6: Gain a majority in the trigger ballot.
-
Step 7: Support another candidate against the sitting MP.
Detailed Guide
If you are not already a member of the Labour Party, being a member is the best way to have a say in who your MP is.
You should also join a union or another affiliated group which you are eligible for, because they have a large say in the deselection process.
It is important to be active in these groups and in your CLP (Constituency Labour Party).
If you are well known, it is easier to gain support and to have your voice heard, which makes a hard process such as deselection more manageable.
Find out if many other labour party members agree that your MP should be deselected.
A good first step is to find out if there are any groups which are already established in your area who campaign for deselection, who could help you.
Once you have a small group of people, it could be much easier to win over others to your case.
One way of doing this is talking about political differences that you and other members may have with your local MP, for example if there is a conflict between the left and right wings of the party, or by discussing other ways you are dissatisfied with the work they are doing.
Once you have found out what people think, you can explain what deselection is and why you think the MP should be deselected.
It is also crucial to gather support in union branches as well as with general members of the Labour Party.
Without a wide enough range of support, the deselection may fail. , Deselection is the process of preventing an MP from standing for the same seat in an upcoming election.
It may be difficult to win people over to your case if you cannot explain this.
Similarly you must have proper knowledge of your motives for wanting to deselect an MP, especially if it is for political reasons.
Make sure you understand the reasons for your political differences, for example by reading up on the history of the Labour Party, especially the differences between New Labour and traditional socialism, and by keeping up with current events.
That way it may be much easier to gain support for the deselection process. , You may not have to fully write out a motion.
You may be able to find motions which have already been passed or debated in branches in different regions, which can be a good base for this.
These motions of no confidence have no formal effect, but they have a big psychological effect on your local branch and are good for growing your support base, ready to go forward to the next step.
If you have a lot of confidence, you can also write a motion saying that your CLP intends to try to deselect your MP.
If it is passed, it is a really good confidence boost and a good way to get the deselection campaign organised. , This ballot was introduced in the 1990s to make it easier for MPs to defend their seats.
Each trade union branch, party branch and affiliated organisation (such as the Fabians for example) is given a single yes/no vote each.
If over 50% of them are in favour of automatically allowing the MP to continue in their role, then no deselection will occur, however if more than 50% are in favour of deselecting their MP, this triggers an open contest in which the MP has to face other candidates.
Crucially, in the normal electoral college the role of unions is limited, but in this trigger ballot, it is not, which often helps the sitting MP as in the past union branches have been likely to support them over the membership.
For example, in 2004 an MP was not deselected because there were more than 20 union branches, most of which fell onto his side, and only 4 local party branches.
And in addition, while all party branches will meet and vote on whether or not to endorse the current MP, in some cases a single local union official can decide for all the branches of that union in an area. , The most difficult part of deselecting an MP is definitely winning the trigger ballot.
However, it's important to take the process through to the end.
Find a candidate who you feel represents the views of your local party better, and help them to gain enough support to replace the current MP.
If they are successful, you have a new parliamentary candidate.
About the Author
Anna Webb
Brings years of experience writing about DIY projects and related subjects.
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