In light of the decision to welcome Natalie Elphicke into the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), whilst keeping both Jeremy Corbyn and Diane Abbott outside of the PLP, CLPs may wish to pass the model motion below and send it to the NEC.

It is advisable not to mention either Jeremy or Diane when discussing this motion in local Party meetings. This because the General Secretary previously banned local Parties from discussing any individual who is subject to the Party’s complaints and discipline processes. The ban is undemocratic and it is applied in a factional way. However, breaching it has led to Party members being suspended. So, for present it is advisable to observe these factional restrictions that have imposed on local Party meetings.

Supportive arguments for the model motion

To win the forthcoming general election and then succeed in government, the Party is going to need to solve some complex problems. This will require much discussion of the alternative policies available, that meet with Labour values. The Party should not be afraid of this necessary debate. It will be beneficial to draw on the wide range of experience within Labour’s broad church. And the PLP should reflect that breadth in its membership, which should be in line with Labour values.

That raises some questions: How broad should the PLP be? What views are in line with Labour values and what views are not?

These questions need consideration now, because the political composition of the PLP is in the process of changing. Nationally the Party is currently considering which Tory MPs to target for defection to Labour. This raises the issue of how far to the right should the PLP reach and should it reach out to those who do not support Labour values?

At the same time, well know figures on the Party’s left, with long track records of campaigning for Labour values, are being pushed out of the PLP. This raises the issue the criteria used by the PLP to exclude supporters of Labour values.

It would be helpful if the NEC would look into these issues. This motion simply calls on the NEC to consider this matter.

Questions the NEC could usefully address include the following:

• Should the PLP welcome into its ranks more MPs like Natalie Elphicke, a former member of the Tory hard-right ‘Common Sense Group’?
• Should the PLP be welcoming such hard-line views on immigration?
• Is it consistent with Labour values to publicly defend a convicted sex offender?
• Should the PLP recruit new members who have previously been suspended from the House of Commons for trying to influence a judge in a sexual offence trial?
• Should the PLP be seeking that degree of breadth in its ranks?
• On its left, should the breadth of the PLP include members who have served the party for years, campaigning on issues such as against wars and in support of Palestinian human rights?
• And should the PLP include long standing champions of the fight against racism?
• Should the PLP, as it did in the past, include those views within its ranks or should such progressive politics be pushed out of the PLP as has recently started to happen?