In the era of Jeremy Corbyn, previously overlooked Labour institutions have taken on a new significance. For the 91 per cent of MPs who did not vote for him, internal elections offer a chance to exert influence on the party’s direction.
The contests for the PLP departmental committees are one such example. Before his election, Corbyn wrote in a piece for the New Statesman: “A more participatory Parliamentary Labour Party is vital to our unity and strength, so I believe there should be backbench committees of Labour MPs for each department to ensure a dialogue between all Labour MPs and the shadow cabinet, and to drive policy development.”
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