National Policy Forum Conference 2016

Despite having been elected to the NPF as a Scotland CLP rep in 2015, the first full NPF meeting only took place on the 19th and 20th of November in Loughborough.

It was a very general meeting and was more focussed on identifying priority issues for the coming months and years. This report is therefore lighter on policy details than may be expected, but instead focuses on ways for you as a member, your CLP, or other affiliated body to get involved in the policy making process.

Labour 2020

Although there is speculation that there may be a snap election, the current timetable is focussed on the General Election taking place in 2020, and building a manifesto for that. There will of course be a change in the plan if this changes.

The starting point for the NPF was Jeremy Corbyn’s 10 Pledges to Annual Conference, which was a document that was voted through by Conference earlier in the year. This laid out parameters and goals for Labour to expand on in greater policy detail, and are:

1. Full employment
2. A secure homes guarantee
3. Security at work
4. A strong public NHS and social care
5. A National Education service for all
6. Action on Climate Change
7. Public ownership and control of our services
8. A cut in inequality of income and wealth
9. Action to secure an equal society
10. Peace and justice at the heart of foreign policy

The NPF Conference in November looked to give focus to how the manifesto will be structured, and give priority to certain areas in each Policy Commission. The previous 7 Policy Commissions were expanded to 8, with the new Work, Pensions and Equality Forum being added.

The 8 policy Forums and their remits can all be found HERE.

Timetable

The below table lays out the planned schedule of meetings and policy drafts, starting from now until spring 2020. (Unfortunately it seems that the timetable has slipped already, as there haven’t been any initial meetings or conference calls set up for December…)

How to Get Involved

At Annual conference, the older ‘Your Britain’ website, which was the way members could suggest policy proposals to the NPF, has been replaced by the new Policy Forum site:

http://www.policyforum.labour.org.uk/

Here, you can submit a policy idea, comment on others, and view the suggestions that are being submitted to the policy process. The ‘Your Britain’ Twitter account has also been changed to the ‘Labour Policy Forum’, and can be followed HERE.

You can also of course hold policy discussion events in your own CLP, or across a regional area. I would be happy to attend any such meeting or event as an observer to report back to the NPF and the relevant Policy Commission. If you would like me to attend a CLP meeting as an NPF rep, please do not hesitate to contact me:

E: martyn_cook@live.co.uk

P: 07827 962 960

T: @MartynC86

Trident Motion

In my last NPF report I advised that the motion passed by Scottish Conference calling for investment in Defence Diversification and opposing the renewal of Trident submarines had not been included in the International Policy Forum report on defence.

The General Secretary of Scottish Labour, Brian Roy, helpfully clarified that the motion had been submitted to the (now suspended) Defence Review, as opposed to the NPF’s International Policy Forum.  Brian has asked that the motion (along with the Scottish Labour Party’s motion calling for outright opposal to TTIP) be again submitted to the NPF, which I have undertaken to do.

Chair Elections

Finally, congratulation to Katrina Murray, who is a fellow Scottish CLP rep, as she was elected as a vice-chair to the NPF for the CLP section.