As the Chair of this CLP I’m determined that the many strands of the Labour Party are made to feel welcome within our local Labour Party. From a personal perspective my campaign team during last year’s election covered a broad range of different views within the umbrella of the Labour Party and this team was able to work in a collaborative and productive way.

Again, on a personal level, while I lean to the left of the Labour Party and voted for Jeremy Corbyn in both leadership elections, I have not joined ‘Momentum’ as I’m not in favour of factions within a political party, although I fully respect a member’s decision to do so. I believe it can be unhealthy just to listen to people that agree with you and we can learn a great deal from listening to those that have different opinions to ours, both from within and outside of the party.

While of course labels are sometimes hard to avoid we should be very cautious in how we use them and ensure they are not used in a derogatory manner as that may create an unwelcoming atmosphere within the Constituency Labour Party. Different views within the party should be able to be expressed freely in a respectful environment.

Our local Labour Party meetings should be conducted in a manner where all members feel able to air their views and take a full part in the meeting. As Chair this is my responsibility in the meeting and I will do all I can to make sure this takes place.

While we have achieved a great deal, we must always be aiming to improve and it is in this spirit that I help guide the CLP for the benefit of its members and the Labour Party as a whole. Working together there is no limit to what we can achieve.