Campaign report: Proportional Representation at #Lab21
Overview of outcomes
We have not yet won overall - but have achieved several important victories. We have demonstrated we are no longer a group of Labour members trying to persuade the rest of the membership - we are the membership. Our task now is to bring on board the leadership and wider Labour movement:
Proportional Representation is supported by the overwhelming majority of party members (83%), local parties (324 CLPs) and their conference delegates (80%).
Not only is PR supported, it is a high priority and members are clear they want a manifesto commitment for PR: our motion came second highest in the CLP priorities ballot and the resolves section of our motion was unamended.
Support transcends factions spanning Momentum, Open Labour and Labour to Win.
The argument is won: support for First Past the Post is passive and hollow. Just two delegates spoke against PR (with more than 20 speaking for), relying entirely on tired myths.
The motions campaign
153 CLPs voted to send motions on PR to conference. Around 140 of these were formally accepted. Our internal target had been 30-50 conference motions.
324 CLPs in total have policy in favour of PR. 97% of CLPs which debated PR carried the motion.
This was the result of a year-long campaign aiming to take a PR motion to every CLP, including:
Regional groups: launched in December 2020; eight monthly UK-wide coordination meetings; a number of highly active groups with more providing regional intel and mutual support.
Volunteer speakers: attending countless branch and CLP meetings throughout the year, making the case for PR.
Phone-bank operation: thousands of calls made by dozens of volunteers, reaching hundreds of unique contacts.
Digital and media: growing from a one-page website to a lean, action oriented platform; social media content production and account operation; media work building narrative of demand and urgency (see coverage page).
Roadshow and pre-conference events: twenty online public events since the start of 2021, featuring over seventy speakers, attended by 2000 participants including a two month ‘Roadshow’ of twelve thematic events.
Trade unions: PR was due for debate at three largest trade union conferences after branches had the debate and voted to submit motions. Sadly, two of these policy conferences were postponed until after Labour conference.
Conference operation
Political management: negotiation in advance of and at conference with key stakeholders, maintaining our firm commitment to the red lines of our objectives.
Delegate briefings: five pre-conference online briefings, trainings and socials for delegates and volunteer teams. At conference, three one-hour delegate briefings staggered throughout the first day; daily hour-long delegate briefings.
Delegate communications: live updates via a broadcast WhatsApp group of over 130 delegates; separate WhatsApp group for two-way chat. Peer-to-peer delegate lobbying. Mass text messages and email at key moments.
Press and social media: proactive and reactive press work, supported by coalition members, resulting in significant coverage in the Guardian, Independent, Mirror, Labour List as well as broadcast. Social media account operation; video content creation in advance of and during conference.
Volunteer coordination: recruitment, briefing and coordination of dozens of leafletters, fringe organisers, and logistical support volunteers.
Brand visibility: volunteers, delegates and visitors given highly visible merch including distribution of 1500 lanyards, 500 tote bags, over 3000 stickers, plus facemasks and T-shirts, and distribution of 12,000 flyers for priorities ballot and events.
Stall: co-hosted and staffed with Labour Campaign for Electoral Reform; used as delegate comms and mailing list sign-up, pick-up point for information and merch; highly visible branding including map of support amongst CLPs.
Fringe: three well-attended L4ND fringe events, including a rally, featuring over 30 speakers in total and participation in a debate at The World Transformed.
Thank you - and next steps
Thank you so much for your work and support over the last twelve months - whether you moved or supported a motion in your own branch, organised in your region, spoke at other CLP meetings, helped run our conference operation, or supported the campaign in countless other ways.
Thank you to all the CLPs that supported PR, and all their delegates who voted for it on the conference floor. A special thanks to the affiliated unions who backed us: ASLEF, BFAWU, FBU, TSSA, MU.
Finally, we want to thank all the organisations that have participated in the L4ND coalition over the last year - Labour Campaign for Electoral Reform, Make Votes Matter, Open Labour, Electoral Reform Society, Another Europe Is Possible, Compass, Unlock Democracy, Labour for a European Future, Politics for the Many, Chartist Magazine and Get PR Done - as well as Make Votes Count and the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust.
The fight isn’t over. The movement for PR come out of conference stronger than ever before - with the support of the overwhelming majority of the party membership. The task that remains is to persuade the rest of the wider Labour movement to join us. This work starts now - and we need your help to make it happen. Make sure you’re on our mailing list and we’ll be in touch to ask you to get involved in these next vital steps of the campaign.