Statement on post-Referendum state of the Labour Party

Statement from the Open Labour Management Committee:

Last Friday’s vote to leave the EU was momentous and historic. It will have reverberations for generations to come on the lives of our citizens and those in the EU. The referendum brought to the fore divides which have been papered over for far too long with retail politics by mainstream political parties.

Those divides are now playing out within the Labour Party. Tensions around Europe have shown that many traditional Labour supporters are at odds with their elected representatives. The reality of this disconnect has caused a loss of confidence in the Leader of the Party within the Parliamentary Labour Party.

The Labour Party is feeling an almost unbearable pressure caused by these countervailing forces, with the very real threat of an existential crisis for our party. Going forward, the Labour Party must be a broad, inclusive and outward looking force in society.

We fully accept and respect the mandate delivered to the Leader in September 2015, but in light of the changed world we now face it’s time for a new mandate. Open Labour is calling for a new leadership election to give members and supporters of the Labour Party a chance to choose who will lead the Party in the negotiations for leaving the EU, and forge a path to a new European Settlement protecting the rights of our citizens and environment.