With various left and soft left groups on the sidelines, the party’s right is in the ascendant
Recent developments in the Labour party have once again highlighted how, despite the leader’s promise to end factionalism, internal divisions are alive and well. The party agreed last month to ban four groups, leading to the automatic expulsion of members – expected to reach 1,000, though this figure hasn’t been confirmed – on the party’s left. The groups are Socialist Appeal, a Trotskyist group considered a successor to Militant; Labour Against the Witchhunt, which believes many Labour antisemitism claims were fabricated for political reasons; Labour in Exile Network, a defender of those suspended or expelled from Labour; and Resist, the project of ex-MP Chris Williamson, intended to become a registered political party.
These now-proscribed organisations are small and you could forgive even the most active Labour member for never having heard of some of them. But, by and large, the Labour left opposed the bans: they believe that a “guilt by association” rule is unfair and suspect this is only the start of a slippery slope, with bigger groups critical of Keir Starmer at risk of being ousted next. A panel has been set up to consider further proscriptions. It is worth taking this moment to review how, as a new leadership has changed Labour’s internal dynamics, key organisations within Labour have been bolstered and others weakened.