Ed Miliband moves to end shadow cabinet ballot

Labour leader wants to be free to appoint members, while quota of posts for women will also be abolished In a surprise assertion of his authority over his party, Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, has said he would abolish elections to his shadow cabinet, leaving him free to appoint his own top team. The move will end a decades-long Labour tradition that shadow cabinet members are elected by their fellow Labour MPs. Shadow cabinet and senior party figures were informed of Miliband’s plan to end a key plank of internal democracy today. He will address Labour MPs about his plans on Monday evening and expects a secret ballot to be conducted among them. The proposal also has to be formally endorsed by party conference in September. No quota of posts for women in the shadow cabinet will be retained. At present a ballot paper is only valid if at least six votes for women are cast. Miliband’s aides said he would appoint a large number of women as a matter of course. During his leadership campaign, Miliband said he wanted half of the shadow cabinet to be women. Aides said he had taken the step to end the distraction of elections and to make his top team focus on the task of holding the government to account. They believe repeated internal elections make some shadow cabinet members as concerned by their popularity among their colleagues as with their impact on the general public. One spokesman said: “Elections were a legacy from our previous time in opposition and it is a sign that Ed does not want the party to be dragged back to the 80s.” Miliband has also decided not to go ahead with plan for an elected party chair. The announcement comes two days before a Labour national policy forum at which shadow cabinet members are due to report on the progress they have made in renewing party thinking. Some Labour activists say Miliband has not been receiving enough support from his most senior political colleagues, and this puts them on notice they will have to raise their game. Labour MPs voted only in the autumn, following an internal review, not to abolish shadow cabinet elections, but instead to shift from annual to two-yearly elections in an attempt to impose greater stability. Party officials insisted that Miliband’s move did not presage an imminent shadow cabinet reshuffle, or the return of his brother David to frontline politics. The officials also denied that it reflected frustration at the performance of any of his team, or a need to end recent political infighting over issues such as tax and spending. But the move will give Miliband freedom from September to recast the shadow cabinet in his own political image, and promote fresh younger talent currently stuck in the relative obscurity of junior shadow ministerial jobs. He will also be in a position to sack anyone for disloyalty or refusal to co-operate on policy. Although the leader is free to appoint any elected member to any portfolio he chooses, those who do well in the elections believe they have earned the right to be handed the more senior jobs. Despite denials tonight , it is likely that some older figures will agree to stand aside at some point. Ed Miliband Labour Women in politics Patrick Wintour guardian.co.uk

Posted by on June 23, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.