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| Labour leadership: Andy Burnham calls for urgent meeting over concerns that 'large scale' Tory infiltration could lead to legal challenge | Labour leadership: Andy Burnham calls for urgent meeting over concerns that 'large scale' Tory infiltration could lead to legal challenge |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Andy Burnham has called for an emergency meeting over concerns of “large scale” infiltration of Conservative supporters in the Labour leadership race. | Andy Burnham has called for an emergency meeting over concerns of “large scale” infiltration of Conservative supporters in the Labour leadership race. |
| His team has written to Labour HQ demanding a meeting be held early next week between all four campaigns, claiming that the evidence of ‘entryism’ from supporters of other parties in the leadership election could result in the integrity of the contest being called into question. | His team has written to Labour HQ demanding a meeting be held early next week between all four campaigns, claiming that the evidence of ‘entryism’ from supporters of other parties in the leadership election could result in the integrity of the contest being called into question. |
| The outcome of the contest could even be subject to legal challenge unless the party takes immediate action, Mr Burnham’s camp says. | The outcome of the contest could even be subject to legal challenge unless the party takes immediate action, Mr Burnham’s camp says. |
| Labour leadership hopefuls: Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper, Jeremy Corbyn and Liz Kendall | |
| An astonishing 121,000 people took advantage of new rules enabling them to sign up as "registered supporters" and be given a vote in the leadership contest, but the process has been marred by claims that supporters of rival parties have used this avenue to make sure Mr Corbyn wins the contest. | An astonishing 121,000 people took advantage of new rules enabling them to sign up as "registered supporters" and be given a vote in the leadership contest, but the process has been marred by claims that supporters of rival parties have used this avenue to make sure Mr Corbyn wins the contest. |
| In a letter to the Labour party’s general secretary Iain McNicol, Labour MP and chairman of Mr Burnham’s campaign Michael Dugher writes: | In a letter to the Labour party’s general secretary Iain McNicol, Labour MP and chairman of Mr Burnham’s campaign Michael Dugher writes: |
| “There has been extensive media coverage in recent days regarding the procedural elements of the leadership elections. We warmly welcome the fact that the process has been opened up, thus enabling so many rank and file Labour supporters to have a say in the future of our party. | “There has been extensive media coverage in recent days regarding the procedural elements of the leadership elections. We warmly welcome the fact that the process has been opened up, thus enabling so many rank and file Labour supporters to have a say in the future of our party. |
| “There do however remain concerns about potential Tory infiltration on a large scale, with a Conservative MP, Conservative media commentators and Conservative councillors all having been rejected. This suggests the 121,000 registered supporters could include several thousand Tory infiltrators, as well as supporters of other parties seeking to have a vote in the election.” | “There do however remain concerns about potential Tory infiltration on a large scale, with a Conservative MP, Conservative media commentators and Conservative councillors all having been rejected. This suggests the 121,000 registered supporters could include several thousand Tory infiltrators, as well as supporters of other parties seeking to have a vote in the election.” |
| Read the full letter below. | |
| Mr Burnham's intervention comes after Labour HQ was accused of conducting a "purge" of left-wing supporters in a last ditch attempt to prevent Mr Corbyn from winning the election. | |
| Hundreds of people who signed up to take part in the vote received emails from party HQ informing them they would be barred from voting because they did not support the “aims and values” of the Labour party. This is on top of over 1,200 people who have already been disqualified. | |
| But many claim they have never been a member of any other party, have supported Labour in the past and have come back in the hope of electing Mr Corbyn as leader. | |
| Read the full letter from Andy Burnham's campaign team to Iain McNicol, Labour's General Secretary: | |
| Dear Iain, | |
| There has been extensive media coverage in recent days regarding the procedural elements of the leadership elections. We warmly welcome the fact that the process has been opened up, thus enabling so many rank and file Labour supporters to have a say in the future of our party. | |
| There do however remain concerns about potential Tory infiltration on a large scale, with a Conservative MP, Conservative media commentators, and Conservative councillors all having been rejected. This suggests the 121,000 registered supporters could include several thousand Tory infiltrators, as well as supporters of other parties seeking to have a vote in the election. | |
| While we accept the party has processes in place, there is potentially more that can be done by the party nationally and regionally as well as by local CLPs to exclude such infiltrators. We are also concerned that given the party's limited resources and the effort required to investigate applicants, this could result in the integrity of the contest being called into question, and the outcome subject to legal challenge. | |
| The meeting on 11 August was helpful in bringing together the candidate teams to discuss the leadership election, to brief us on your plans, as well as take suggestions from us. To wait till 1 September for the next conference call with the teams when there are so many concerns is allowing the issue to drift, and potentially leaving insufficient time for the party to act. | |
| We are therefore writing to ask you to call an urgent meeting of candidate teams early next week to discuss this matter further, to brief us on progress being made, and to consider recommendations from the campaign teams. This meeting should include representatives of all leadership and deputy leadership campaign teams, and should be a face-to-face meeting with those unable to participate joining by phone. We also believe that representatives of the Procedures Committee should be in attendance at the meeting. | |
| Given the interest, we have shared this letter with the other leadership campaign teams. I await your early response. | |
| Kind regards | |
| Michael Dugher, Campaign Chair & John Lehal, Campaign Director, Andy4Leader |