At its 2006 Conference, the party presented a video celebrating its “50 Reasons to be Proud of Labour”, including the declaration: “We’ve banned fox hunting.” It subsequently listed “Banned fox hunting” as number 35 in its top 50 achievements since 1997.

The Hunting Act 2004 was the culmination of years of campaigning and parliamentary battles and represented a significant victory for animals and for the principle that cruelty should not be justified as sport. But there is an important qualification. The Act prohibited hunting with dogs but also contained a series of exemptions and has proved difficult to enforce. Twenty years on, hunting hasn’t disappeared. Instead, hunts have adapted their practices and sought to exploit weaknesses in the legislation.

That leaves today’s government with an opportunity both practical and political: to strengthen the law so that the ban works as intended. If it is to do that, it needs to act sooner rather than later.

Why the Hunting Act needs strengthening

Trail hunting emerged after the Act as a purported alternative to hunting wild mammals, in which hounds follow a pre-laid animal-based scent. It provides a cover for illegal hunting. Even were an animal-based scent really laid, it would clearly risk dogs finding and pursuing the scent of live wild mammals. 

The government’s 2024 manifesto committed to banning trail hunting, and it reiterated that commitment in its Animal Welfare Strategy. A consultation on how the ban should work closed in June this year.

That consultation also asked whether other legislative changes would be needed to make prohibition effective. The League Against Cruel Sports argued that banning trail hunting in isolation risks leaving many of the weaknesses in the Hunting Act untouched. If the legislation remains difficult to enforce, or if exemptions can be used to provide cover for hunting, there is a danger that the practice once again simply changes its name or method.

The League’s recommendations therefore include strengthening the law around reckless or so-called accidental hunting, requiring those organising hunts to take reasonable steps to prevent wild mammals being chased or killed, and addressing the responsibilities of landowners and those responsible for dogs. There is also a need to remove exemptions which can be exploited, expanding the definition of hunting to include searching for a wild mammal, and more robust penalties. 

This may sound technical, but it comes down to a simple question: does the law prevent the activity Parliament intended to prohibit? At present, there are too many ways for hunts to argue that what they are doing is something other than hunting.

Labour’s unfinished business

In its 1997 manifesto, Labour promised a free vote on whether hunting with hounds should be banned. The Commons subsequently voted repeatedly for prohibition. By 2001, the manifesto acknowledged that the Commons had made its position clear and promised to give the new Parliament an early opportunity to express its view and to “enable [it] to reach a conclusion” on the issue.

In September 2004, 318 Labour MPs voted for the Hunting Bill, with just three voting against. Resistance in the Lords ultimately led to the Parliament Acts being used to secure passage. 

Determination is once again the order of the day.

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The problem isn’t just fox hunting

The government should resist treating trail hunting as a self-contained problem.

Exemptions in the Act are being used in relation to a range of animals, including foxes, deer, hares and mink. In the case of deer claims relating to activities such as research, observation or rescuing wild mammals provide routes around the prohibition. 

Stag hunting remains a stark example. Hunts continue to chase deer with hounds in the South West. This should make us cautious about assuming that a new prohibition on trail hunting, by itself, will solve the wider problem.

The lesson is that legislation needs to anticipate how those determined to continue hunting will try to operate around it.

The government has a chance to do something more valuable than simply delivering one manifesto commitment. It can use the legislative opportunity to make the Hunting Act clearer, more comprehensive and more enforceable.

This is not a battle between town and country

The debate must not be framed as if strengthening the Hunting Act means imposing an urban agenda on rural Britain. Polling has repeatedly found majority support for stronger restrictions on hunting among people living in rural areas. Most recently, polling found that 58% of rural residents supported banning trail hunting, compared with 28% who opposed it.

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The government needs to move quickly

There is a clear thread running through Labour’s history. The question is what happens next.

The government should now publish its consultation response and bring forward legislation as soon as possible. There is good reason for urgency. If Labour wants to deliver its manifesto commitment and strengthen the Hunting Act, it should introduce legislation early enough in this Parliament to give it a realistic opportunity to complete the process. And the legislation should be ambitious enough to solve the problem rather than simply address its most visible symptom.

The Hunting Act was not a failure. It was indeed a major achievement. The problem is that, as with much legislation, the real world has exposed weaknesses that were not fully anticipated when Parliament passed it.

To the question – does this pass the Makerfield test? – the answer is clear. Some 76% of voters there support strengthening hunting laws, as do voters up and down the country, including in rural areas.

The government should move now to ban trail hunting and strengthen the wider legislation so that exemptions cannot be used as cover for hunting. It should improve the prospects of effective enforcement and ensure that those who organise and facilitate hunting cannot exploit gaps in the law.

Labour itself once said, proudly, “We’ve banned fox hunting.” Now it should be equally proud to say it made sure the ban actually worked. 

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As part of our Labour Tribes project, in partnership with PLMR, LabourList is taking an in-depth look at the different groups, factions and caucuses that shape the current Parliamentary Labour Party.

While a summer of record-breaking heatwaves and wildfires has renewed public focus on the climate crisis, the Socialist Environment and Resources Association (SERA) has been campaigning for “ecosocialism” for more than 50 years. With almost a quarter of the PLP affiliated to the organisation, the socialist society sees the environmental debate as being more than just about climate policy, but also a matter of social justice too.

As MPs prepare to return to Westminster, LabourList spoke to SERA’s national organiser Laura Clarke about the organisation’s mission, their hopes for Burnham’s premiership, and how climate action can be a vote winner – despite a sceptical media narrative.

‘People across the political spectrum vote for politicians who act on climate’

Since 1953, SERA has campaigned within the Labour Party for greater action on climate change, with its activism, campaigning and policy position being driven by its members.

Clarke said one of the organisation’s key roles is acting as a bridge between Labour’s grassroots, affiliated MPs and the government.

“We advocate from members to government and from government back to members and communities more widely. We really see that as a pivotal role that we need to tell government that this is what people out on the doorstep are thinking about the environment.”

However, she also argues that SERA also serves to communicate Labour’s environmental record more effectively to voters – a message that Clarke argues is a vote winner.

“There is no doubt that Labour is serious about climate – [it’s] the only party that’s serious about climate change and the only one that’s delivered any meaningful policies for climate change.

“I do think there seems to be a gap in what media tells us we all believe and the reality of what polling tells us. The polling consistently shows that people across the political spectrum vote for politicians who act on climate and nature. Yet we are continually bombarded with this idea that we don’t support it and that people don’t want climate action.

“It’s a vote winner. If we are able to articulate that as a Labour movement, we know we can win votes.”

READ MORE: ‘Nature is our first line of defence against climate extremes. Labour must treat it that way’

SERA’s vision of ‘ecosocialism’

For SERA, addressing the climate crisis goes deeper than just reducing carbon emissions. Their vision of ecosocialism envisages a sustainable future, with a pro-environment, socially just agenda at its heart.

Clarke explained: “That’s underpinned by all the evidence that we know that it’s the poorest communities that will be hardest hit by the impacts of climate change and the nature crisis.”

She also argued that environmental policy has a direct bearing on one of the defining political issues for the government: the cost of living.

“The cost of living will increase if we don’t do anything about the climate crisis. This conversation that’s happening at the moment about needing to reduce the cost of living we completely support – but we have to appreciate that you need to tackle climate change, otherwise everything is going to continue to escalate.

“Nature is important for the health and well-being of people, for liveable communities, for climate resilience and adaptation, and for food security. Nature is just so critical.”

‘It simply wasn’t true that nature’s a blocker’

One area SERA found itself butting heads with the government was over planning reform – in particular the decision to roll back protections for nature to boost housing developments, accusing Starmer’s administration of “divisive rhetoric”.

Clarke said: “It simply wasn’t true that nature’s a blocker. When you look at all the different issues around planning, nature was an easy target. In our minds, the stats don’t stack up in that regard. We feel like nature lost out.”

Some Labour MPs did campaign for protections for nature when the Planning and Infrastructure Bill made its way through Parliament, notably North East Hertfordshire MP Chris Hinchliff. His campaign to protect rare chalk streams in law saw him branded a NIMBY on social media and temporarily suspended from the party.

For Clarke, their support for protecting nature does not equate to opposition to new housing developments.

“We know we need housing, so we’re not against housing. It’s possible to deliver housing and actually improve the nature that was near or around that existing area.”

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Burnham and calls for public ownership of water

While SERA’s relationship with Andy Burnham’s government is still at an early stage, Clarke said she was encouraged by the signals received so far.

“Andy Burnham and his government have talked about a change of approach and being inclusive and non-factional, and that seems to be the case.

“Prior to the leadership contest, he wrote a statement to us that we really support on the environment, nature and climate. Because the socialist societies do play a unique role in the Labour Party, it’s nice to feel like our Prime Minister respects that.”

One area SERA is looking to push the government is on water reform, with members expressing concern at a “lack of urgency”. The organisation has teamed up with Mainstream to create a motion for party conference calling for the public ownership of water.

Clarke welcomed Burnham’s commitment to the “public control” of utilities, including water, and said: “Andy is giving out signals that everything could move in that way, so we want to ensure that he knows he’s supported.”

‘The economics behind Rosebank don’t seem to stack up’

The question over the controversial exploitation of Rosebank could be a potential source of friction between Burnham and SERA, however, after saying last month he would be “pragmatic” about oil and gas.

Clarke was adamant that Rosebank should not be given the green light and disputed the economic case for the project, along with the environmental damage it would cause.

“Not only could it emit 70 percent of Britain’s annual emissions [over the project’s lifetime], it could have an excess death rate of 57,400 [by 2100] because of the heatwaves associated with more emissions.

“When you look at the economics behind it, it doesn’t seem to stack up. We won’t have access to the oil and gas it will produce – it will go to the international market. It won’t reduce the cost of living, and in relation to the amount of jobs that it would produce, they are overstated.”

While SERA supports a “just transition” for communities affected by the decline of North Sea oil and gas, Clarke stressed that did not mean that Rosebank has to be a part of that process.

READ MORE: ‘Working class communities deserve a bold climate plan from Labour’

‘Labour should continue to be on the right side of the science’

Recent extreme weather events have prompted more of SERA’s almost 100 affiliated MPs to become more involved with the organisation, particularly ahead of party conference.

Clarke said that she also expects SERA’s membership and the political pressure for action on climate to grow as climate change becomes increasingly tangible in people’s lives.

She reflected on living for more than a decade in Australia before returning to Britain last year, pointing to the extreme bushfires in 2019 and 2020 as an example of how extreme climatic events can leave a lasting political impression.

“The Labor government there got elected in a significant part on an environmental platform, which was based on those wildfires, which were all emblazoned on our memories. You can’t forget things like that.”

As Britain begins to bear the brunt of more extreme weather, Clarke expects similar experiences to shape British public opinion as people increasingly encounter the effects of climate change themselves.

“That is lived trauma. I think we will begin to see a change and there will become more demand for action.”

Ultimately, Clarke argues, Labour has had a good track record for climate action – and urged the government not to waver in that commitment.

“What is clear is that Labour has continually shown itself to be on the right side of the science. That’s what we are asking for now – to continue to be on the right side of the science.

“When increasingly we’re feeling those climate change impacts, we just need Labour to continue to do what it’s always done.”

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The post Inside SERA: Labour’s environmentalists see climate action as a ‘vote winner’ appeared first on LabourList.

Let’s reflect upon some of the human consequences, as this summer through five heat-waves, whole families including almost 200,000 children were often jammed in one room with nowhere to play, sharing kitchen, bathroom and toilet facilities. This is the state of much so-called ‘temporary accomodation.’Appalling, wretched, stressful, unhealthy, inhumane conditions, with no end in sight.

An utterly shameful Tory legacy which is now our responsibility to fix.

There are political consequences across whole communities as economic deprivation and prolonged insecurity engender anger and alienation – the breeding ground for populism, hate and division. Also, failure costs.

READ MORE: ‘Spirit of ’45 – social housing at scale’

We need thousands of Council/ Social Rent homes. Andy Burnham – our new Prime Minister – wants Council Houses as a priority alongside his top priority-ending homelessness.

The Treasury allocated £39 billion for 1.5 million houses over 5 years, plus recently, funding targeting homelessness. So, why don’t we get on with it?

Well some are already doing great work,’green shoots’ are visible. 

The problem, however, is one of scale. As indicated above, thousands and thousands are needed and in short order.

Sadly the national picture is that building council houses is grinding to a halt. Clearly, not helped by growing evidence of an impasse with big private developers. Plus, there is also the major problem of significant traditional building skill shortages. 

The Impasse 

Building genuinely affordable homes, especially socially rented housing, has become stalled as ‘unviable’ (i.e. not sufficiently profitable) to major private developers. Unviable is always the developers excuse for not delivering promised affordable housing and/or infrastructure.

Last autumn Sky News reported that since the election, 275,000 homes have been delivered, compared to the 400,000 needed to be on track for 1.5 million homes.

Rising building costs and weakening house prices left “half of the country unviable (for development projects) and the other half of the country unaffordable” said Steve Turner, Executive Director, Home Builders Federation (HBF).

In June the Guardian highlighted the flatlining of Social Housing completions and growing need, saying ‘Research shows …it would take more than a century to clear the social housing waiting lists in England at the government’s current speed of delivering new social homes”

Meanwhile, just weeks ago The Independent reported surging profit warnings among housebuilders. 

The writing ‘is on the wall’: If we continue to rely so heavily on the big private developers, they will ask for a massive public subsidy to proceed – that is, assuming they can get the workforce. 

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But, is this the effective way forward, or is it now time for government to embrace a broader approach?

Now must be the time for unlocking the huge potential of SME’s across the UK currently manufacturing Modular Passivhaus dwellings – modern, high quality, high tech, energy efficient prefabs? 

Also, the government, via The National Housing Bank, should be making significant investment, via newly devolved mayoralties and unitary authorities into setting up publicly, community and co-operatively owned factories.

Factories for manufacturing and assembling genuinely affordable homes to rent and buy in the postcodes where they are most needed. Which, incidentally, would bypass many of the traditional building skills shortages.

Can it Be Done? 

Well,have done it before, and successfully, when Attlee and Bevan created a ‘prefabs’ revolution in the austere aftermath of WW2. Since then there have been huge advances in relevant technology, and funding is already set aside and waiting to be allocated.

We now have, in Andy Burnham, a Labour and Co-operative Prime Minister. So this is the opportunity to boldly involve our co-operators and bring those values into the heart of our mission. 

We should, therefore, make at least one of our New Towns a Co-operative (Friendly) New Town.

Learn from the national and international success of Co-operative Housing Projects.

It is probable that many readers of this article, myself included, are not currently experiencing severe housing need. However, we do not join the labour movement to ‘pull up the ladder’ and betray those most in housing need. This is a matter of social conscience not confined to our ideology. It also makes economic and political sense to act now.

We must bring on a second prefab revolution and get essential quality energy efficient Council Homes manufactured and assembled in every postcode across the UK.

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There is a real problem with campaigning for proportional representation. I am certainly in favour of electoral reform. In many parts of the country, a particular party is way above favoured in a particular area and first-past-the-post may mean all the seats in the area are won by that party. This leads to one-party rule and total unaccountability and corruption.

For the GLA elections in London, we have a top-up list and the single transferable vote system. I think that works well and I would like a similar system for general and council elections. But unfortunately there are so many different forms of PR that no one can agree on which system. Political parties will simply want the system which will benefit them the most. Remember we had a referendum on the alternative vote system and Labour and the Tories campaigned against.  I note that the Tories simply abolished STV in London and Labour has reversed that decision. The Tories kept the list system and, to its credit, Labour has not changed it. In Harrow many years ago we had an aldermanic list system that meant that there were some Labour representatives on the council.

I remember in Australia, polls suggested a majority wanted to end the UK monarch being head of state, but voted against it because no one could agree on what the replacement should be.

There are so many different sorts of PR that it is almost impossible to come to a cross-party consensus. I think Labour could just change the system along the lines we already have.

Bill Stephenson

I am personally not happy about private water companies retaining the ownership of the British water in this country. This is not a financial commodity that can be owned by private companies like Thames Water. These private water companies should be held to ransom for abusing the financial control of what is basically a natural resource for not just the public, but also the natural world in terms of aquatic species of wild plants and animals which need fresh unpolluted water to survive.

The problem is that Thames Water have total monopoly over a large area of supplying water to its paying customers they have total autonomy with no competition and they basically are doing exactly what they want and do not have anyone to answer to, not even the elected government.

Susan Ann Mead

With a majority Labour government, there is no constitutional requirement for a mid-term election. As time passes, the lies, bluff, hatred to secure votes and false solutions to the boat crisis and housing crisis will be progressively exposed, and voters will drift away.

Also, full term’s improvement will demonstrate Labour as the party doing maximum good to the majority of working people and with viable plans for improvement.

Unrealistic plans attract votes only on a short term. Labour should continue development plans unabated, expose the futile opposition with time, and hold the next general election in 2029 when it is due.

Basudeb Ghose

Well, Andy Burnham certainly talks the talk, but does he walk the walk? The jury is certainly out on the latter.

Burnham has provided the narrative and communication strategy so sorely lacking during the Starmer years, but what about delivery? Early days, but as everyone sheltered from the heat, Burnham seems set to allow drilling in the North Sea – fiddling while Rome burns hardly covers it.

Water shortages are becoming a daily reality. The private water estate is clearly not fit for purpose. Bosses filling their boots as well as those of shareholders. Hosepipe bans, whilst destructive water-reliant data centres get approval. If ever there was a key sector, where Burnham can roll back 40 years of mismanagement, water is it – yet he seems to have shied away of re-nationalising.

Big ideas on social care, yet no plan seemingly to wrestle the service away from the private sector. No sign either of an economically literate and humane immigration policy. The care sector is one crying out for staff it cannot get due to Shabana Mahmoud’s draconian immigration policies.

If you want growth amid an ageing population, migrant workers have to be allowed in to cover skills gaps and much else. A policy simply based on reducing numbers may please Reform and it’s supporters but it is economically illiterate.

Finally, the way in which the early prison releases program was dealt with smacked of populism, bending to vengeance-based campaigns, amplified by the right-wing media. Releases should be by individual assessment, not according to how many column inches or minutes on the news that victims and their relatives can attain.

There have been positives, such as the moves to address the cost of living crisis and bringing some harmony to the Labour Party.

Early days, but worrying that there is not much sign of real change – a continuation of Reform light policies on immigration and increasingly the environment. But better PR.

Andy Burnham made big promises but now he has to deliver. Just providing better PR will get found out eventually. It is not rolling back the damaging policies of the past 40 years!

So be bold, take water back into public ownership, ban anymore drilling in the North Sea, double down on net zero, bring in a humane and economically literate immigration policy, look seriously at universal basic income and stop pandering to the military industrial complex on defence spending.

Paul Donovan, Wanstead

With a call to implement an arms embargo to help the situation in Gaza to be debated at the Party conference and the need to boost defence spending to help ourselves and Ukraine, isn’t one answer to nationalise the Elbit Systems factories in Bristol and elsewhere, and redirect the arms, in particular drones, for our own use.

Phil Tate, Chester

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The post Letters to the Editor – week ending 30 August 2026 appeared first on LabourList.

I joined the Labour Party.

For me, this wasn’t a decision I took lightly. I have always cared deeply about my community here in Davyhulme, but I reached a point where I felt I couldn’t simply stand on the sidelines and watch politics happen around me. I needed to get involved.

Part of that feeling came from what happened locally to me. Reform took a council seat from Labour, in my area, by only 11 votes, and subsequently that councillor was arrested in connection with an allegation of carrying a dangerous weapon. I found the situation deeply upsetting.

Whatever someone’s political allegiance, I believe people who represent our communities should understand the responsibility that comes with holding public office.

It made me think very seriously about the direction I wanted to see for my own area and I decided I needed to step up. I wanted to fight for Labour locally, but more importantly, I wanted to do something positive for the community I live in.

Since joining, everything has moved rather quickly. I received a lovely welcome email from the Head of the Council, who introduced me to the two Labour councillors representing my area of Davyhulme here in Urmston, Trafford. That immediately made the experience feel very personal. I wasn’t simply becoming a membership number. I was being welcomed into a local organisation with people who are already working every day on behalf of our community.

WATCH: New LabourList Podcast – NEC Election Special

Then came my first ever canvassing session. I joined the Urmston Labour councillors and went out around Urmston, knocking on doors and speaking to residents and I absolutely loved it. What struck me most was that canvassing isn’t simply about asking people for their vote. It’s about listening.

Residents talked to us about potholes, overhanging trees and anti-social behaviour, including concerns about young people using scooters and e-bikes.

These might sound like relatively small issues when discussed from a distance, but when you’re standing on someone’s doorstep and listening to them explain how something affects their street and their daily life, you realise how important these issues actually are.

One thing became particularly clear to me. Our councils need the resources to deal with these problems.

It is very easy to criticise a council because a pothole hasn’t been repaired or a street hasn’t received the attention residents feel it deserves.

But where is the money supposed to come from? Local government needs adequate funding from central government. Without it, councils are forced to make incredibly difficult decisions about where limited resources are spent.

Main roads can understandably receive priority, while smaller residential streets can sometimes feel neglected.

More funding for local government could make a genuine difference to people’s everyday lives.Better roads. Better maintained streets. More responsive services. More capacity to tackle anti-social behaviour and support communities.

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Perhaps the biggest thing I have learned already is that politics is about people. It isn’t just Westminster or Parliament or just political arguments on television and social media. Politics is also the person who opens their front door and tells you about the pothole outside their house. It’s the resident worried about trees becoming dangerous and the parent concerned about anti-social behaviour, the person who simply wants their street to feel safe and looked after. That is the politics I want to be involved in.

I have only been a Labour member for a very short time, but already I feel that joining was the right decision.

I want to learn, to listen, to work and most of all I want to fight for my community.

I don’t pretend to have all the answers. I’m only at the very beginning of this journey. But I do know that sitting back wasn’t going to change anything. So I stepped up. I joined Labour and went canvassing. I listened to residents and I intend to keep going. I’ve only just started my journey into politics, and I’m already loving it.

Davyhulme, is my community and I want to help make it stronger. And I’m ready to play my part.

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Labour to Win saw all four of their CLP candidates elected to the National Executive Committee, while soft left faction Mainstream, contesting its first NEC election, saw two of its three candidates elected.

The Momentum and CLPD-backed Centre-Left Grassroots Alliance (CLGA) saw two of their three candidates elected, with Yasmin Dar missing out on re-election.

New faction Restoration, which has focused on renewing Labour’s working-class roots, saw one of their candidates, Andrew Achilleos, elected to the NEC.

‘No more concentration of decision-making in the hands of a few’

Mainstream’s Cat Arnold, who was re-elected to the NEC in the first stage of the ballot, said she was “absolutely thrilled” to be re-elected and to be joined by her fellow Mainstream representative Kerry Postlewhite.

“I will never take this position lightly. I thank all who have placed their faith in me, including my fantastic, NEC friend Ann Black, who has taught me so much.

“These results show us that members want a voice across the breadth of our movement and democratic say across members, unions and affiliates. No more concentration of decision-making and power plays in the hands of a few; I am on the NEC with Kerry to bring this to an end.”

‘Result is strong endorsement of direction party has taken’

Re-elected NEC representative Abdi Duale, from the Labour to Win faction, said: “This result is a strong endorsement of the direction our party has taken and of the changes we have made to rebuild Labour as a serious, disciplined and election-winning force.

“Members have had a clear choice about the future direction of our party. The message from this election is that they want us to build on the progress we have made, not turn the clock back.”

‘Considerable support remains among members for transformative Labour Party’

CLGA’s Jess Barnard said it was “wonderful” to be re-elected and said: “These results demonstrate that considerable support remains among our members for a transformative and democratic Labour Party.

“The new leadership should hear this message and work to rebuild trust with members through creating meaningfully democratic structures and implementing a transformative policy platform, which drives up living standards and provides hope for voters once again.

“I look forward to working as part of that coalition willing to fight for member democracy.”

‘A working-class voice on the NEC’

Andrew Achilleos, Restoration’s first elected representative on the NEC, said he was “over the moon” by the result and told LabourList: “Some will be shocked by the result, but Restoration was founded knowing that thousands of Labour members are desperate to see more working class MPs and more working class members in our party again. That starts with having a working class voice on the NEC.

“I want to take this opportunity to send commiserations to my comrade Stella Tsantekidou who didn’t make it this time, but ran a strong campaign. It’s quite a mix on the CLP section, and I’m looking forward to working with people from all traditions within the movement, to help make our party as strong as it can be for the next election.”

Achilleos, although elected on the Restoration slate, is also a Mainstream member.

‘Mixed NEC an opportunity to demonstrate how factions can work well together’

Emma Burnell, editor of LabourList, said: “We are a Labour Party that has strength across our different factions and traditions and this result reflects this.

“This mixed NEC is an opportunity to demonstrate how factions can work well together to strengthen the party as a whole.

Full list of elected NEC candidates

• Cat Arnold (Mainstream) – elected Stage 1
• Jess Barnard (CLGA) – elected Stage 2
• Angela Davies (Labour to Win) – elected Stage 3
• Gemma Bolton (CLGA) – elected Stage 12
• Jane Thomas (Labour to Win) – elected Stage 12
• Kerry Postlewhite (Mainstream) – elected Stage 12
• Abdi Duale (Labour to Win) – elected Stage 12
• Andrew Achilleos (Restoration) – elected Stage 12
• Peter Mason (Labour to Win) – elected Stage 12

A full breakdown of the results can be found on the Labour Party’s website.

Elsie Greenwood was elected as the NEC’s Youth Representative, with Claire Holland and Peter Wheeler elected in the Local Government Division.

However, former MS Michael Antoniw missed out on being elected as Welsh Representative by 115 votes, being defeated by Ann Jones.

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However, that period of relative calm is now coming to an end.

When MPs return to Westminster next week, Burnham will face a series of decisions that will begin to define what his government is actually about – and, crucially, how much of his agenda he can afford to deliver.

His biggest test will be the Budget on October 28. Chancellor John Healey will have to balance Burnham’s promise to ease the pressures facing households, growing demands on public spending, and the commitment to increase defence investment. The government will need to demonstrate it can deliver on those ambitions without unsettling financial markets or storing up problems for later down the line.

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And the Budget is only one of a series of challenges Burnham will face in the coming weeks and months.

Labour’s conference in Liverpool will be the first major gathering of the party faithful under Burnham’s leadership. He will have to win over a sceptical Unite to his cause or risk the conference being the last before the union potentially disaffiliates next year.

There will also no doubt be parliamentary battles along the way. Is Burnham prepared to pursue his long-standing support for proportional representation when it comes to a vote next week? Will the question of welfare reform cause renewed splits within the PLP? And will the Prime Minister stand resolutely behind immigration reforms that have caused concern among some Labour MPs?

And all of that is to make no mention of ongoing crises over the water sector, the state of the nation’s prisons, the health service as winter approaches – and the risk of more extreme weather.

The easy bit of Burnham’s premiership may be coming to an end. The next few months will test his political instincts and demonstrate whether the skills that served him so well in Greater Manchester can translate into governing the nation.

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From Labour’s conference in Liverpool to the first Budget of the new government, electoral reform and the return of assisted dying legislation, the months ahead will put some of Burnham’s priorities to the test.

The Budget

On October 28, Chancellor John Healey will deliver Burnham’s government’s first Budget, setting out its spending priorities and offering an early indication of how the new PM intends to approach the public finances.

This Budget will also be closely watched for what it says about defence spending. Healey previously resigned as Defence Secretary under Keir Starmer over the government’s approach to defence investment.

The government has committed to increasing defence spending, but the timing of further investment remains unclear. Sky News’ Sam Coates has suggested that some of the increase could instead be deferred until the spending review expected the following year.

The Budget will also need to reassure financial markets as the government sets out its spending plans. As Burnham continues to look for ways to offer ‘breathing space’ for the public, this budget may have to be more inventive in order to deliver against the cost-of-living crisis, as too much of an emphasis on borrowing and spending could cause the markets to become unnerved, potentially introducing greater complications for Burnham and Healey’s Treasury plans later down the line.

READ MORE: Majority of Labour MPs back review of voting system, poll reveals

The ten-year plan

A ten-year plan is expected in November and is likely to provide the government with its overarching political narrative.

Rather than a single policy announcement, the plan is expected to bring together a series of documents covering different areas of government and setting out the direction of travel.

For Burnham, this could be where his argument that government should “do politics differently” begins to translate into the way his administration operates.

The plan is also likely to provide an indication of how individual policy programmes fit together and whether a recognisable approach to government – what could be described as Burnhamism – is beginning to emerge.

Burnham has previously talked about changing the way Whitehall works, and following this summer establishing the early stages of this through ‘Number 10 North’, the ten-year plan could provide an early indication of what Burnham’s ‘rewiring of the state’ means in practice.

Water and utilities

The government’s approach to utility companies, particularly the water industry, is also expected to feature in the months ahead.

Changes to the way water companies operate could be brought forward as part of the ten-year plan, although the precise proposals and timetable remain to be seen.

Pressure remains for the government to be tougher on the water industry, with many wondering whether Burnham’s government will build on some of the work introduced under the previous administration, following the termination of Ofwat and the introduction of a new, stronger water regulator.

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Assisted dying returns

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is also set to return to the Commons on September 11.

The legislation, originally introduced by Kim Leadbeater, passed the Commons but ran out of time in the House of Lords during the last parliamentary session. Labour MP Lauren Edwards is now bringing the bill back after coming second in the ballot for Private Members’ Bills.

Whether the revived bill can make it through both Houses this time remains uncertain, with assisted dying continuing to divide MPs and the wider Labour movement.

Electoral reform

The Representation of the People Bill will return to Parliament with Alex Sobel’s amendment calling for a National Commission on Electoral Reform.

The amendment has been signed by 185 MPs, making it the most-supported amendment to a bill in the current Parliament. A YouGov poll for LabourList has also found that 55 per cent of Labour MPs support establishing the commission, compared with 29 per cent who oppose it.

The amendment would require the government to report on the feasibility of establishing a commission to review the voting system for elections to the House of Commons and make recommendations for reform.

Burnham has previously backed moving away from first past the post in favour of a proportional system.

The debate over Sobel’s amendment will therefore offer an early test of how far the new government is prepared to move on constitutional reform — and whether Parliament could begin a process that would lead to a significant change in the way general elections are conducted.

With the amendment already backed by a majority of Labour MPs, the government will face pressure to decide how it wants to respond when Parliament returns.

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Labour Party Conference

Labour’s annual conference takes place in Liverpool from September 26, with the party gathering for the first time since Burnham became Prime Minister and Labour leader.

LabourList will be there to cover all of the announcements and stories from inside the secure zone, fringes and beyond, as well as delivering a conference programme that will bring together a range of ministers and powerful voices from across the Labour movement.

We are looking forward to seeing readers, members and LabourList supporters in Liverpool. There will also, of course, be the return of the best event on the entire conference programme: LabourList Karaoke – with tickets going on sale very soon. Make sure you grab yours when they drop to make sure you don’t miss out!

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Politics comes thick and fast, and often it seems like it came from nowhere. But it didn’t. 

Ideas, questions, policies have all spent days, weeks or months being tested.  Increasingly, tested by small social media accounts or niche podcasts or Telegram groups. 

If progressives want to be less reactive and get on the front foot, we need to pay more attention to that upstream layer. 

I have been building a watchlist of public accounts that play three broad roles: originators, incubators and translators. 

Originators introduce a phrase, argument or policy demand. Incubators are the accounts, podcasts and publications where an idea is repeated and refined. Translators take something niche, ideological or inflammatory and turn it into a form that journalists, politicians and ordinary voters can easily understand. 

We have already seen what that journey can look like. The best-known example of this is the ‘Boriswave’, which was being discussed by originators and incubators for months before mainstream papers or Reform politicians picked it up. 

But even just this week there have been some early warning signs of topics being discussed that progressives might need to prepare for.

A few days ago, Big Time Charlie (@shadowcanman) claimed his examination of the  asylum-accommodation supply chain has uncovered financial connections involving 21 sitting MPs, through donations, campaign funding or paid roles.

This has already been amplified by @frankwrighter who ‘translates’ it into the accusation that MPs are financially benefiting from mass migration. 

Whether it’s true or not is irrelevant. A donation from a company is not evidence that an MP was bribed into shaping asylum policy for personal gain. But if the claims start to gain more traction, the distinction may be difficult to establish. 

The mere possibility that voters could start believing that the companies profiting from asylum accommodation are financially connected to a bloc of MPs who sustain mass migration is exactly why progressives need to understand the claim now, before they are forced to answer it at speed and the allegation hardens into accepted truth.

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This account has previous. Only the week before, @shadowcanman published a ‘National Lottery migration audit’ identifying 1,694 grants worth £114.7 million to charities supporting refugees, asylum seekers or immigrants. The accusation: buying a lottery ticket means you are funding the “migration industry”. Eight days later, it was picked up by GB News. 

Social media has dramatically reduced the distance between a fringe formulation and a mainstream argument.

This is where monitoring becomes useful. The purpose is not to manufacture rebuttals to everything the online right says. Publicly attacking a tiny account can give a claim attention it would never otherwise receive. 

Instead, an early-warning system should help people in politics spot crises before they appear and give them the time and space to monitor it, establish the facts and prepare a response. 

That is why I am launching a fortnightly Substack that will track this layer of British politics: what right-wing, alt-right and far-right accounts are discussing, what is genuinely new, and what appears likely to cross into mainstream debate. 

It will not be a catalogue of outrage, and it will not assume that an argument is false simply because of where it originated. The aim is simpler: to listen without sneering, take notes without amplifying, and be ready before fringe posts become mainstream. 

If politics is increasingly downstream of the internet, we should spend more time looking upstream. 

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The post ‘The next right-wing talking point is already online. We must learn to spot it early’ appeared first on LabourList.

Each week during recess, Paul Dimoldenberg looks at economic news from across the country to identify what “good growth” looks like in a diverse set of local communities to deliver the much-needed economic growth to power the economy and deliver new jobs, increased wealth and additional tax revenues to pay for improved public services. This week we feature:

• Rolls-Royce wins fresh engine deal in Derby with Philippine Airlines (DE24)
• Wynnstay expands fertiliser blending capacity in Montrose (DD10)
• Aircraft interiors business expands in Cambridge (CB25)
• Maritime and Renewables cluster established in North Yorkshire (DL7)
• Work starts on huge Greenpower Park project in Coventry (CV3)
• Royal Navy in Portsmouth signs torpedo deal with BAE Systems (PO1 and PO3)
• Sheffield wholesale book seller invests in larger base (S9)

Derby: Rolls-Royce wins fresh engine deal with Philippine Airlines (DE24)

Rolls-Royce has secured a major new aerospace deal with Philippine Airlines for 18 Trent XWB-97 engines as the airline expands its long-haul fleet. The Derby-based engineering company has signed a memorandum of understanding with PAL covering engines to power nine Airbus A350-1000 aircraft, with the agreement also including options for a further five aircraft. The deal strengthens a long-standing relationship between the two companies and follows PAL’s 2023 order for nine Airbus A350-1000 aircraft powered by the Trent XWB-97 engine.

Rolls-Royce will also provide its TotalCare service, a long-term maintenance agreement designed to monitor engine health, support reliability and improve operational planning for the airline. The Trent XWB-97 is the exclusive engine for the Airbus A350 and is one of Rolls-Royce’s flagship widebody engines.

Montrose: Wynnstay expands fertiliser blending capacity (DD10)

The agricultural supplies business, Wynnstay Group, has invested in its fertiliser operations in Montrose, with the expansion set to double blending capacity. The group’s investment will see Glasson Fertilisers relocate to a substantially larger production facility at Barrack Road in Montrose, supporting the continued growth of the business across Scotland. As part of the project, Wynnstay has placed the principal equipment contract for a new high-capacity fertiliser blending plant, which is expected to double the site’s blending capacity.

To ensure uninterrupted service, production will continue at the existing Cobden Street facility, while the new plant is installed and fully operational during the first half of 2027, ahead of the peak spring fertiliser season. The development builds on the expansion of Wynnstay’s Avonmouth fertiliser operation and forms part of the group’s wider Strategy Genesis programme, which focuses on investing in key growth opportunities, increasing operational efficiency and strengthening returns from its manufacturing asset base. Once complete, the development is expected to create one of the largest fertiliser blending facilities in Europe.

Cambridge: Aircraft interiors business expands in Cambridge (CB25)

ACS UK, an aircraft interiors company, has expanded its UK operations with the addition of another facility in Cambridge. Located close to ACS UK’s existing Cambridge site, the new facility, named Novus, spans 21,467 sq ft across two floors. The one-acre site will provide a dedicated space for final assembly lines, test and development areas, as well as for welcoming customers. The additional capacity at Novus will ensure the company can support its growing order book.

Novus includes a dedicated yard and incorporates electric vehicle charging points, solar panels to support on-site energy generation, and cycle storage, alongside 60 parking spaces. The facility is expected to be fully operational later this year.

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North Yorkshire: Maritime and Renewables cluster established (DL7)

A county-wide initiative will be established in September to connect businesses, education providers and investors operating across North Yorkshire’s maritime and renewables supply chain. North Yorkshire Maritime & Renewables (NYM&R) will create a single, unified voice for the industry and will aim to build a co-ordinated, internationally credible sector that drives long-term economic growth across the county.

It will embrace everything from offshore wind assets in the North Sea off the Yorkshire Coast to the engineering firms, logistics companies, training providers, technology businesses and professional services organisations supporting them from the county’s inland towns and cities. It will include manufacturers in Ripon, engineers in Harrogate, training providers in Northallerton and technology companies across the county, all of which have a role to play in the clean energy future being built off North Yorkshire’s shores.

Coventry: Work starts on GreenPower Park project (CV3)

Work has started on GreenPower Park, a landmark location for battery research, industrialisation, manufacturing, testing, recycling and electrified logistics, on the site of the former Coventry Airport. Planning permission has been secured for up to 5.7 million sq ft of industrial development, with the aim of creating thousands of jobs and injecting £2.5bn into the local economy.

Enabling works to connect the site to a dedicated power supply from National Grid are now underway. Matrix Networks and Ashwell Construction are installing a new primary sub-station, made possible thanks to £23m from Labour Mayor Richard Parker and the West Midlands Combined Authority’s regional Investment Zone programme. Richard Parker said: “Getting spades in the ground at GreenPower Park is a significant milestone in our plan to put this region at the cutting edge of global battery manufacturing and innovation. It also moves us a step closer to thousands more good-quality jobs in one of our fastest-growing sectors.”

Portsmouth: Royal Navy signs £135m torpedo deal with BAE Systems (PO1 and PO3)

The Royal Navy has signed a new £135m contract with BAE Systems to maintain and repair its torpedoes. It covers the Navy’s Spearfish and Sting Ray torpedoes used by submarines, surface warships and maritime patrol aircraft to protect UK waters and maintain its nuclear deterrent. The Torpedo Repair and Maintenance deal secures around 315 jobs across the UK, including 150 highly skilled engineering roles, and a further 165 in BAE’s UK supply chain. The engineering and technician roles include 100 in Portsmouth and 50 more across Edinburgh, Chelmsford and near Glasgow.

This is part of the Government commitment to use defence spending to drive economic growth and deliver well-paid, long-term jobs in advanced manufacturing and engineering across the UK. Luke Pollard MP, Defence Minister, said: “This is defence spending doing exactly what it should – keeping our country safe while securing 315 skilled jobs and creating new opportunities across our country.” The three-year contract runs from July 2026 to June 2029.

Sheffield: Wholesale book seller invests in larger base (S9)

Bestsellers Direct, a Sheffield book business with more than 40 years of trading experience, is expanding after signing 30,000 sq ft of industrial space at Grange 34 on Grange Mill Lane, off J34 of the M1 in Sheffield. The firm will be using the units for the storage, sale and distribution of books to customers across the UK and overseas.

Bestsellers Direct has grown from a small discount bookseller into an international wholesaler supplying thousands of titles spanning fiction, children’s books, gift books and specialist publications. In recent years, it has acquired Bookmark, a specialist retailer of military and transport books, while transitioning to a majority employee-ownership business in 2021. Larger premises will allow the business to expand its warehousing and distribution capacity, improve operational efficiency and continue providing the high levels of service customers expect.

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