The Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) have been presented with options for reform of the shadow cabinet. Letters to MPs from Margaret Beckett and Tony Lloyd pave the way for ballots on 8 September for the size, composition and gender profile of the shadow cabinet and between 30 September and 7 October for its membership.

The timetable is underpinned by the imperative to have an opposition team in place for the Comprehensive Spending Review on 20 October. The options for MPs outlined in the letter from Beckett are:

Selection of the shadow cabinet: wholly appointed by the leader; wholly elected by Commons members of the PLP; wholly appointed by the party leader; 50/50 split between party leader appointments and elected by Commons members of the PLP; two thirds elected by Commons members of the PLP, one third appointed by the Leader.

Size of the shadow cabinet. In addition to the leader, deputy leader, PLP chair, leader and chief whip in the lords, the available options will be: 19 members (present number); 16 members; 12 members.

Gender profile. The percentage of places reserved for women: 50 percent; 40 percent; matching the whole PLP’s current profile of 31.5 percent; 30%, increasing to 50% by 2012.

Frequency of elections: every year; every 2 years; once a parliament.

The PLP will also be asked whether the Chief Whip should be appointed by the leader or elected by MPs.

While anoraks and other observers will savour the prospect of a mini-referendum to precede the election proper, the process has not been welcomed by some senior Labour MPs. Garry Gibbon quotes one former cabinet minister:

“Shadow Cabinet elections? Why the hell didn’t we abolish them? We just forgot.”

This sets the scene for plenty of arm-twisting at Labour conference in Manchester.

Share With Friends

Labour Students is notoriously right wing. During this blogger’s time as a student the story of the Scottish contingent’s journey to national conference, where they abandoned a group of Trots at a service station in Carlisle and then affixed an icepick to the front of the bus, was regularly (and boastfully) recounted.

Today the left in Labour Students are altogether more subdued, being quite content for the organisation to be controlled by a Progress-dominated group of centreists. This Animal was hardly surprised therefore to learn that Labour Students’ National Committee will be recommending its members vote David Miliband for Labour leader.

This decision, however, has not gone down too well with the twittersphere. While some have been complaining about a lack of transparency, others have argued that NOLS should have remained impartial.

Twitter has  given the left in Labour Students a voice – better get the icepicks out!

Share With Friends

A month ago former leader of Glasgow City Council Steven Purcell appeared on the front page of the Scottish Mail on Sunday. In a ‘mia culpa’ style article Purcell complained about the hounding he’s received from the press over the past four months and expressed his desire to get on with his life (read: political career). Shortly afterwards it was reported that Purcell is to take up a post with the charitable Stewart & McKenna Foundation.

Scrapbook has  it on good authority that Purcell has recruited dozens of new members in his local Labour Party branch (37 at last count). With a couple of retirements expected in the Garscadden/Scotstounhill council ward Purcell could be angling to step into this vacuum in 2012.

Word on the street is that Purcell has his eyes on John Robertson’s Westminster seat of Glasgow North West in 2015.

No one seems to have told him it’s likely to disappear with boundary changes.

UPDATE: A source close to John Robertson has been in touch to assure us that ”John is 100% certain” he’ll be standing at the next election, meanwhile The Herald have also mooted the possibility of a move for the Glasgow Anniesland Scottish Parliament seat currently held by Bill Butler. With incumbents in their 50s and a “long road back” to political recovery, a realistic timetable seems to preclude standing for Westminster or Holyrood in 2015. The young Purcell has time to wait.

Share With Friends

UPDATE Purnell’s quote in the press release:

“I am thrilled to be taking on the role of chair at ippr, an organisation I know well and once worked for. Ippr has always been at the heart of the debate about progressive politics in Britain, and has a vital role to play in the new political landscape …  This is a critical time in our politics. Following election defeat, Labour is choosing a new leader and starting the process of coming up with new policies. Ippr will be central to the debates about how the centre left rebuilds and becomes a stronger force for change. At the same time, the new Coalition government has made much of its commitment to progressive ideas. ippr has good relations with the new administration and we continue to aim to develop ideas that are adopted as policy, in Westminster and beyond.”

Share With Friends

It’s hard to understand the outpouring of rage against Peter Mandelson over his book The Third Man. Everybody writes books at the end of a political era, some even before it ends. Two of Mandy’s critics, David Blunkett and John Prescott, published largely unread tripe now not even available in the bargain book basket at Morrisons.

Perhaps Mandy could become RESPECT’s first peer..?

Share With Friends

A couple of the Scrapbook team are currently en route back from a bloggers’ briefing from the Dark Lord himself, where a small batch of Mandelson’s papers were released.

The source material includes:

• A note from the General Secretary of the Labour Party to Mandelson regarding the 1987 election campaign
• A diary entry from 1989 discussing the “future leaders” Blair and Brown
• Mandelson’s note to Blair on Clause IV
• A letter to Blair dated December 1995 outlining general election strategy
• Mandelson’s strategy for the last ten days of the 1997 election
• A note to Blair following New Labour’s victory
• A letter from Mandelson to Blair setting out his role in government, entitled “my job”

We’ll be posting the whole lot in full. In the meantime, however, enjoy this alternative memoir advert from the inimitable Beau Bo D’Or:

Share With Friends

The Scrapbook team recently discovered that a House of Commons debate on the Budget makes for particularly entertaining late night viewing, especially when the Honourable Members have had as much to drink as we had.

In particular, one point of order from the Member for Ealing North left this blogger in hysterics, and wondering just how on earth Hansard would record it. Scrapbook was delighted therefore to discover that Hansard has indeed recorded the point of order, and the reply, verbatim:

Stephen Pound: On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. I would never presume to teach you your job, but some of us on this side of the Chamber are having great difficulty in hearing the priceless words that the shadow Minister is enunciating because of the well-refreshed ejaculations that are coming from those on the Benches opposite.

Mr Deputy Speaker: I do not think I need to deal with that point of order.

Ms Eagle: Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I am trying to put the idea of well-refreshed ejaculations firmly out of my mind.

Share With Friends

With slick direct mail from David Miliband hitting members’ doormats in the past few days, Ladbrokes have cut his odds to seize control of the party at conference in September.

Spokesman David Williams said: “It increasingly looks like a family affair. The Milibands have an iron-grip on the race to be Labour leader and David is the one with all the momentum. His odds continue to shorten.”

• 2/5 David Miliband (from 4/9)
• 5/2 Ed Miliband
• 12/1 Ed Balls (from 10)
• 25/1 Andy Burnham (from 20)
• 40/1 Diane Abbott (from 33)

• Either Miliband 1/14
• Not a Miliband 6/1

It’s not all bad news for Miliband Jr, though. Research by Left Foot Forward indicates that Ed will strongly benefit from second preferences under the alternative vote system.

This could go down to the wire.

Share With Friends

As of 8 July at least the two rivals have one thing in Commons, ahem sorry, common. Both being peers of the realm, perhaps they can have a friendly joke about this on those cosy red benches?

A reprise of This Week’s take on Prezza’s introduction seems appropriate:

Share With Friends

Still no scrapyard in Pristina yet though.

Share With Friends