UK Labour party to be first to allow public to vote in leadership contests
November 28th, 2010 - 3:52 pm ICT by ANILondon, Nov.28 (ANI): Britain’s Labour is to become the first major political party to open up its leadership elections to members of the public.
According to The Telegraph, ordinary voters will be able to cast ballots in the contest to choose Ed Miliband’s successors even if they are not Labour Party members or belong to a trade union.
Details of the radical plan, are part of a wholesale review of Labour’s processes being conducted by Peter Hain, the shadow Welsh secretary.
Labour party leader Ed Miliband told a gathering of activists at Labour’s National Policy Forum in Gillingham on Saturday that the party needed to “reach out beyond our membership” and reclaim its old mantle as the “people’s party”.
He added: “Some people will want to join our party. Some people will be trade union levy payers, but there are people beyond that too that we need to make part of our decision making in this country and that is also going to be part of Peter’s review.”
Labour aides made it clear that the “decision making” referred to future leadership elections.
The radical change puts pressure on the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats to follow suit and opens up their own leadership elections to ordinary voters. (ANI)
- David Miliband emerges as favourite to take over Labour leadership - Jul 21, 2010
- Labour leader Miliband's office burgled - Mar 18, 2012
- UK Labour Party elects Ed Miliband as its new leader - Sep 25, 2010
- Miliband denied Christmas visit to Afghanistan - Dec 05, 2010
- UK Labour Party elects Ed Miliband as its new leader - Sep 26, 2010
- Ed Miliband emerges as favourite to be new Labour leader - Sep 25, 2010
- Ed Miliband denies surgery is to make voice more appealing to voters - Apr 23, 2011
- David Miliband may quit politics - Sep 27, 2010
- Ed Miliband sneaks ahead in Labour leadership 'battle of the brothers' - May 25, 2010
- Miliband family feud could damage Labour Party - Jun 17, 2010
- Former Brit Foreign Secretary Miliband may be offered US envoy post - Dec 28, 2010
- David Miliband approaches BBC for a TV role - Jan 09, 2011
- Miliband may attempt to take over from Brown: Report - May 07, 2010
- David Miliband named second sexiest Brit MP - Sep 21, 2010
- David Miliband to run for Labour party leader - May 13, 2010
Tags: activists, aides, ballots, conservatives, contests, ed miliband, gillingham, labour party leader, labour party members, levy payers, liberal democrats, mantle, national policy forum, peter hain, radical change, radical plan, successors, telegraph, uk labour party, welsh
