Starmer to dilute party members’ power

Leader warned of Labour ‘civil war’ after pledging to change rules that helped elect Jeremy Corbyn

SIR KEIR STARMER has promised to overhaul Labour election rules that helped Jeremy Corbyn secure the party leadership, prompting warnings from the Left that he risks “signing his own death warrant”. In a move described by allies as “transformative”, Sir Keir confirmed he would reverse reforms introduced by Ed Miliband, which were designed to give members more say over their next leader.

Under the changes, which he will seek to force through at Labour’s annual conference next week, party members would wield just one third of the votes, with MPS and trade unions wielding the other two thirds.

It would ditch the “one member, one vote’’ system introduced by Mr Miliband in 2014, which sought to break the stranglehold of the trade union movement over the party.

Labour moderates have long argued for a return to the old electoral college system, as it would diminish the prospect of another hard Left candidate being swept to power by grassroots members, as happened with Mr Corbyn in 2015.

Sir Keir will also seek to undo changes introduced by Mr Corbyn, which made it easier for local Labour parties to deselect their MPS, as well as giving party conference delegates less sway over policy making. Briefing shadow cabinet ministers on the plans, Sir Keir said: “Our rules as they are right now focus us inwards to spend too much time talking to and about ourselves, and they weaken the link with our unions.

“These are two things that have got to change if we are serious about winning the next election.”

He will present the plans to trade unions today, the party’s ruling national executive committee on Friday, and later to party delegates in Brighton for approval. However, the overhaul has prompted warnings of a new “civil war”, with former Corbynite frontbenchers John Mcdonnell, Rebecca Long-bailey and Richard Burgon denouncing it as an attack on party democracy.

Mr Corbyn, who remains suspended from the parliamentary party, also described the move as “deeply undemocratic”.

Last night one insider went further, warning that Sir Keir would be “signing his own death warrant” if he pushed ahead with the plans. The move also risks splitting his frontbench, with Rachael Maskell, a shadow culture minister, publicly declaring her opposition, while a second frontbencher said it was “highly contentious”.

Mr Starmer made the pledge as it emerged the new leader of Unite will skip the leader’s first conference in charge, prompting fresh tensions between the party and its biggest union backer. Sharon Graham, the union’s general secretary, said she would not be attending the five-day event as she had chosen to be “on the picket lines” backing workers in industrial disputes.

Ms Graham had emailed MPS to condemn Sir Keir’s proposals as “unfair, undemocratic and a backwards step”.