With just 24hrs notice, the Your Party Central Executive Committee (CEC) held their first meeting, online, at 8pm on Tuesday 3rd March, with all 24 members in attendance. Below is a short summary of what was discussed (extracted from various statements issued by committee members shortly after)…
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This was an introductory meeting with a limited agenda and no ability to submit agenda items/motions.
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Jeremy opened the meeting and talked about the need to build a powerful campaigning force rooted in communities, and acknowledged the work that the party is doing opposing the Iran war.
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The panel expressed strong opposition to war amid escalating Middle East violence and criticised Starmer’s decision to allow British bases to support US military actions and noted Spain’s decision to refuse assistance. The panel also expressed the need to take the fight to the far right/Reform, combat racism, and unite people across the UK by offering a genuine socialist alternative, forming alliances and supporting independent socialist candidates in elections and national campaigns, such as the demo against the far right on 28th March.
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Members also discussed the Spring Statement (3 March). The general feeling was that it offered no real hope, with frozen tax thresholds hitting low earners, no new rental rights, and nothing substantial on council housing. In response, the panel discussed prioritising community outreach, supported by clear policy campaigns. Jeremy said he would be proposing a policy development strategy involving members in voluntary policy groups, starting with disability. The panel proposed establishing a Disability Commission made up of members with lived experience.
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It was decided by the panel not to appoint a permanent chair until the CEC got to know each other a little better. Several members also pointed out that the CEC is obligated to respect the mandate for collective leadership, which means they cannot elect permanent officers before agreeing on Standing Orders or defining the Chair’s remit. Consequently, with 14 votes, the panel elected Jennifer Forbes (South West) as interim chair, with the ability to set the agenda for the next meeting, on Sunday. Jennifer was chosen from a panel of 3 that also included Naomi Winborne-Idrissi (9 votes) and Niall Christie (1 vote). While voting was anonymous, it would appear to have split mostly in alignment with the two established slates, with GL favouring Naomi and TM favouring Jennifer (Out of 24 total seats, The Many holds 14 seats, Grassroots Left hold 7 seats and the Independents hold 3 seats). While accepting the interim appointment, some members of the panel expressed concern over Jennifer Forbes being appointed Chair of the CEC moving forward. It was suggested, by some, that her previous unwillingness to communicate or cooperate with other elected representatives, including those from different regions and backgrounds, made her, in their view, unqualified to effectively facilitate a national body. One member reported that the Chair seemed to ignore the order of speakers and misrepresented points raised during the chat, adding that a party that claims to be inclusive and nuanced must appoint a Chair that can act as a facilitator, who respects the dignity and mandate of every person in the room, and who does not act as “a voice that prioritises itself.” However, other members have subsequently pointed out that this meeting was entirely online, with some members on mobile phones having technical difficulties, which made it difficult to follow the order in which hands were being raised, despite best efforts of other members who even tried to assist by typing the order of hands in the chat box and calling out peoples names in the correct order.
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Niall Christie raised a point of concern that the panel didnt use the single transferable vote (STV) method of voting when electing the interim chair (as stipulated by point 3.2.6 of the party’s Standing Orders), Unfortunately, no mechanism was available to facilitate this on the day, so the vote carried on despite the concerns. Niall, and a number of other members, expressed their hope that this will be rectified in future.
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Staff provided verbal updates on ongoing work (inc. social media work & statistics, elections oversight and members’ complaints handling). Staff also outlined a structured handover that they had prepared, as part of the interim secretariat’s work and shared that audit trails had been preserved post-elections. The panel were also informed that the staff team had previously been working with the independent alliance MPs,
and following that, the members oversight committee that oversaw the election. These reports were extensive and described how the party had been operating logistically to date but they could not be discussed meaningfully due to time constraints. The panel consequently requested that all future updates be provided in writing at least 5 days ahead of time (along with any other relevant reading material), to allow for further scrutiny, and for accessibility and a request was made for more information about levels and funding of staffing.
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Briefings also covered organisational matters, including full Electoral Commission compliance (independent financial accounting/auditing) and communications reach/priorities.
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Request submitted for full financial oversight and for the CEC to have access to the information. This was noted but not agreed. The panel were advised, however, that financial auditors had been appointed.
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Members asked for a shared means of communication such as Whatsapp and were told to use the generic Your Party email address for now.
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Standing orders are important for a collective leaderships. Members will naturally have differing views at times and must be given equal opportunity to raise matters for debate, in a comradely way. The panel were advised that a code of conduct and standing orders have been drafted for the CEC by the party’s nominating officer and will be presented at the next meeting, on Sunday.
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The panel raised concerns that they were not consulted on meeting dates and asked for more notice in future, pointing out that short notice meetings can cause unnecessary stress around childcare arrangements and other commitments. This was agreed. Concerns were also raised about the prohibitive cost of travel (and potentially accommodation), especially at short notice, and while the panel noted that expenses had been offered, they still hadn’t been given sight of an expenses policy.
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The Chair suggested that items for the agenda for the next meeting, on Sunday, should be submitted via email. However, the panel decided that at the next meeting (on Sunday) they would discuss several key topics, including branch setup, data and branch development, and substantial discussion on the nations (Scotland and Wales), including specific needs, data access, Senedd elections and developing autonomous structures. The panel will also look at the first CEC/local elections, youth participation, community independent candidates to support, finance and governance decisions since the party’s founding, and and various other governance matters. Other items expected to be on the agenda at the next meeting are the election of a permanent chair (and other officers), implementing member votes at conference and supporting Your Party campaigns, including opposition to the attacks on Iran and mobilising for Palestine.
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At the next meeting, Niall Christie and Sam Gorst hope to propose that meetings should rotate around regions and nations to ensure those not living in London are not prevented from attending meetings in person.
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Members of the panel raised concerns that the meeting on Sunday would be too short (2hrs) and that as some members will be travelling into London especially, it would be better to have longer meetings and get more done (presumably as apposed to more frequent but shorter meetings). The Chair agreed to review proposed agenda items and consider whether the meeting needed to be extended.
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Some members report that they found the meeting was generally cordial, with active participation and respectful dialogue from all members, and everyone had an opportunity to voice their opinions.
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Another 2hr meeting was also scheduled for 3 to 5pm, on Sunday 8th March. This will be a hybrid meeting.
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Jeremy said that an email would be sent to members after Sunday’s meeting briefly summarising work done by the CEC so far and plans for the future.
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