The race to appoint Labour’s new general secretary has swiftly descended into acrimony after leftwingers were accused of trying to “stitch up” the process in defiance of Keir Starmer.
HuffPost UK has learned that the new party HQ chief will be installed within just a fortnight under a fast-tracked timetable approved on Tuesday.
The search for a new general secretary, triggered by the resignation of Corbyn loyalist Jennie Formby, turned into a bitter row on Tuesday when senior members of the ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) seized control of the process.
Key leftwing members of the NEC Officers Group, which has a pro-Corbyn majority, decided give themselves the power to draft the longlists and shortlists for Formby’s replacement in the top job.
Under the plan, the full NEC meeting on May 19 will be presented with a shortlist, conduct interviews and then appoint the new general secretary all at the same meeting.
The power-grab, coming hours after Starmer himself had made plain publicly that he had been instrumental in Formby’s departure, infuriated the Labour leader’s allies.
A frantic rearguard action is understood to be taking place to ensure that the full NEC - where Starmer has a majority - takes back control of the appointment process.
One party source said: “NEC officers have attempted a massive overreach in trying to bypass the sovereign body of the Labour party and stitch up the process to suit their own ends.
“That’s not what the Labour party is about. This is a select group of individuals trying to stitch it up.”
One NEC member said: “There’s no way we can let the Officers do the longlist and the shortlist. It’s totally outrageous.”
A party insider said that during the NEC Officers conference call, one member said “if the timetable is this short it looks pre-determined”, to which another member replied “well, it is”. It is understood that Unite’s Diana Holland didn’t vote at the meeting.
One source on the Left countered that it was legitimate for a small group to oversee the shortlisting as the full NEC would still have the final say. Another pointed out that an NEC panel drafted the shortlist in 2018.
Applicants for the post will have until midnight May 14 - in nine days’ time - to submit their CVs.
Starmer’s general secretary will have a huge in-tray, including the Equalities and Human Rights Commission report into anti-Semitism. Many expect a shake-up of the party HQ to reflect the new leader’s strategy and campaign priorities.
Among the possible contenders for the job are Unite political director Anneliese Midgley and the GMB’s Lisa Johnson, although some within the party want a figure from outside the big affiliated trade unions to bring a new approach.
Starmer and his team have been very careful not to yet back any candidate. Some MPs believe Midgley is the candidate who could best unite the different wings of the party, but others see a “perception problem” with her links to Unite and believe a surprise choice could emerge.
Some in the party are furious that no black or minority ethnic candidate has yet been floated, blaming the lack of BAME representation at senior levels in some trade unions.
One MP said: “When you’ve already got a problem for your handling of anti-Semitism, and suddenly wider racism becomes a problem, then it would be savvy to explore BAME candidates”.
Both Ed Miliband and Jeremy Corbyn had to deal with general secretaries they had not personally supported and some key party figures believe Starmer cannot afford a similar situation if he wants to drive through his vision for Labour at every level.
With a narrow but significant majority on the ruling NEC, he retains the upper hand in internal party battles and HuffPost UK understands that some key candidates would rather withdraw if Starmer were not fully behind them
In an interview with Radio 4’s Today programme, Starmer refused to deny that he had wanted Formby to step aside.
“It was a mutual agreement,” he said, adding it was done with “dignity and respect”.
Formby is not expected to be recommended for a peerage, as several previous general secretaries have been.