Categories
Uncategorised

Trigger ballots: another move for top-down control

The NEC plans to nail down most parliamentary candidacies quickly, and way in advance.

According to LabourList, the Labour National Executive Committee (NEC) plans to push through the “trigger ballots” on sitting MPs (to decide whether they are confirmed as candidates for next time without demur, or face contest) by June 2022, and have all candidates selected by March 2023.

Given that many constituency Labour Parties have been preoccupied with local government selections recently, and will be preoccupied with local government elections in March-May, that means rushing through those “trigger ballots” very fast.

The Boundary Commission is due to announce new parliamentary constituency allocations by mid-2023. The changes will probably benefit the Tories, so there is strong incentive for the Tories to wait until after mid-2023 for the next general election.

But, reports Labour List, “the NEC [National Executive Committee] is set to draw up a formula for how candidates confirmed or selected in 2022 are allocated to new seats” after mid-2023, instead of the new boundaries triggering new selections, as happens with local government wards.

Leave a Reply