For more information on DeHavilland and how we can help with political monitoring, custom research and consultancy, contact:
+44 (0)20 3033 3870 [email protected] www.dehavilland.co.uk
INTRODUCTION ...... 3
KEY BODIES INVOLVED ...... 3
AGENDA 2015 ...... 5
2014-2015 TIMETABLE ...... 6
POLICY REVIEW ...... 7
PEOPLE ...... 10
AFTERWORD ...... 13
DeHavilland Information Services Ltd 2015 www.dehavilland.co.uk 2
The Labour Party has made a commitment to making its policy development process as accessible and transparent as possible. Entitled ‘Agenda 2015’, the Policy Review process aims to be a “comprehensive process of discussion looking at every aspect of Labour’s policy in order to support the development of [a] manifesto for 2015”.
Agenda 2015 runs through a four year cycle. It is a continuous revision process of proposals and amendments made by a range of stakeholders, meant to reflect Labour leader Ed Miliband’s attempt to open up his party’s policy development to the wider public.
The National Executive Committee is the governing body of the Labour Party. It oversees the overall direction of the party and the policy-making process. All members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) are members of the National Policy Forum (NPF). Membership of the NEC is structured so as to represent all key stakeholders in the party.
The National Policy Forum aims to achieve consensus on policy issues within the party. Membership includes representatives of Constituency Labour Parties (CLPs), councillors, affiliated trade unions and socialist societies, the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), the European Parliamentary Labour Party (EPLP) and other stakeholders in the party.
The Joint Policy Committee is a joint committee encompassing members of the NEC, Opposition and the NPF. It is tasked with providing “strategic oversight of policy development in the party”.
The Annual Conference decides on the policy framework and party rules. It also considers the policy papers prepared by the policy commissions following consultations with CLPs
Eight Policy Commissions consider proposals put forward by stakeholders, including submissions made through the Your Britain website, and draft Challenge Papers and Policy Documents. Members are drawn from the NPF, the Shadow Cabinet, the NEC, affiliates (such as trade unions), elected politicians, and the ordinary membership of the Labour Party.
DeHavilland Information Services Ltd 2015 www.dehavilland.co.uk 3
DeHavilland Information Services Ltd 2015 www.dehavilland.co.uk 4
Please note that what follows is an informal summary of the manifesto development process.
Stakeholders are asked to submit proposals on the key issues that should be addressed in the manifesto. These are agreed upon by the Joint Policy Committee and constitute the basis for the Challenge Papers subsequently released by the Policy Commissions.
Stakeholders are encouraged to submit responses to the Challenge Papers. Draft policy documents are released daily with comment opportunities for stakeholders.
The National Policy Forum, the Joint Policy Committee and Policy Commissions agree on the draft documents. Annual Conference 2013 votes on the submitted proposals.
Policy Commissions draft final policy documents and open up a consultation process that includes elected representatives, CLPs, affiliated organisations and candidates. Each CLP can submit up to ten amendments in total. These are considered by the National Policy Forum members. The Annual Conference 2014 then votes on the final Policy Programme.
Manifesto is formally adopted during Clause V meeting in April 2015.
DeHavilland Information Services Ltd 2015 www.dehavilland.co.uk 5
DeHavilland Information Services Ltd 2015 www.dehavilland.co.uk 6
Changing Britain Together
Summary: The review is aimed at gathering views on the party’s direction of travel and some of the policies a Labour government would implement.
Key people: Labour leader Ed Miliband
An End to Cold Homes – Labour’s energy efficiency green paper
Summary: The review is aimed at setting out in more detail the nature of Labour’s plans for tackling “the scandal of cold homes” and at providing an opportunity for interested partieis to engage in the development of the proposals.
Key people: Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Caroline Flint
Part 2 of the Lobbying Act
Summary: The review is aimed at identifying of the best approach to regulation, which balances the desire for transparency and a framework that restricts “big money” in elections, whilst allowing charities and campaigners to flourish.
Key people: Shadow International Development Spokesperson and Shadow Work and Pensions Spokesperson Baroness Sherlock; Shadow Political Reform and Constitutional Reform Minister Stephen Twigg.
More Sport for All
Summary: The consultation explores how everyone, from children through to the elderly, can be supported to participate in sport and physical activity.
Key people: Deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman; Shadow Sports Minister Clive Efford.
Exploitation law – fit for practice?
Summary: The review seeks views on a number of proposals aimed at tackling the exploitation of migrants in work.
Key people: Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper; Shadow Business Secretary Chuka Umunna
DeHavilland Information Services Ltd 2015 www.dehavilland.co.uk 7
Victims’ Taskforce
Summary: The Taskforce will lead on Labour’s work to establish a victims’ law and advise on the way victims and witnesses are treated by the criminal justice system.
Key people: Baroness Doreen Lawrence Peter Neyroud, former police officer, currently Resident Scholar at the Jerry Lee Centre for Experimental Criminology, University of Cambridge Sir Keir Starmer, QC, barrister, former Director of Public Prosecutions and head of the Crown Prosecution Service; former Human Rights Advisor to the Northern Ireland Policing Board and the Association of Chief Police Officer
Lyons Housing Review
Summary: An independent review into what changes in planning and housing policies and practices are needed to address the UK’s housing crisis.
Key people: The Lyons Commission (supported by the Fabian Society) Sir Michael Lyons Tom Bloxham, Chairman and Co-Founder, Urban Splash Mark Clare, Group Chief Executive, Barratt Developments Plc. Julia Evans, National Federation of Builders. Kate Henderson, Chief Executive, Town and Country Planning Association. Bill Hughes, Legal and General Grainia Long, Chief Executive, Chartered Institute of Housing Simon Marsh, Head of Planning Policy, RSPB David Orr, Chief Executive, National Housing Federation Richard Parker, Partner and Head of Housing, PwC Malcolm Sharp, Immediate Past President, Planning Officers’ Society Ed Turner, Deputy Leader, Oxford City Council Professor Cecilia Wong, Professor of Spatial Planning, University of Manchester
Energy Green Paper
Summary: The consultation sets out Labour’s plans for reform of the energy market in more detail and provides an opportunity for interested parties to engage in the development of these proposals.
Key people: Labour leader Ed Miliband; Shadow Energy Secretary Caroline Flint.
Realising One Nation: Developing a new race equality strategy
Summary: The review is aimed at kick-starting the process of developing a new race equality strategy to help tackle the barriers that still exist for black and ethnic minority people in the economy, society and politics.
DeHavilland Information Services Ltd 2015 www.dehavilland.co.uk 8
Key people: Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities Gloria de Piero MP
Zero-Based Review
Summary: The review, which looks at public spending, is aimed at providing “a root and branch review of every pound Government spends from the bottom up.” Labour has said that it will “ruthlessly prioritise public spending and deliver service reform and improvements rather than just salami slicing budgets and watching services deteriorate.”
Key people: The Review Panel
Alexis Cleveland CB, former Director General for Transformational Government at the Cabinet Office, advising on “making best use of information and communication technology’’ Prof Dermot Cahill, Chair of the Institute for Competition and Procurement Studies, advising on “effective public sector procurement” Margret Exley CBE, former HM Treasury board member and expert in change management advising on “streamlining, simplification, collaboration and integration” Baroness Jeannie Drake CBE, former member of the Turner Commission on Pensions and former President of the TUC on “the use of consultants and temporary staff, and wider issues in workforce deployment and capability” Ray Shostak, formerly Director General (Performance) at HM Treasury, Head of the Prime Ministers Delivery Unit and international expert in public service performance on “strengthening incentives and accountability for improving performance and efficiency”
Publications
Labour has already published documents highlighting key talking points from different sections of the Policy Review so far. All these documents have been sent to the appropriate Labour Policy Commission for consideration. Some of the most significant include:
Armitt Review of Infrastructure Real Energy Market Reform Open Banking: Building a transparent banking system Living standards and Sustainability Policy Consultation Skills Taskforce Review Blunkett Report into school standards Oldham Report: Whole Person Care Small Business Taskforce Low Pay: The Nation’s Challenge Exploitation in the care sector The Lyons Housing Review
DeHavilland Information Services Ltd 2015 www.dehavilland.co.uk 9
Coordinators
Ed Miliband MP Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition since September 2010.
Mary Turner President of the GMB trade union, Ms Turner also sits on the National Executive Committee. She was chair of the party’s Annual Conference 2003-2004.
Coordinator
John Cruddas In May 2012, Ed Miliband appointed Mr Cruddas as coordinator of the Labour Party Policy Review.
Advisor for Industrial strategy
Lord Adonis In May 2012, Ed Miliband charged Lord Adonis with the responsibility for industrial strategy on the party's Policy Review.
Director of Policy
Torsten Henricson-Bell A former special advisor to Alistair Darling, Torsten Henricson-Bell has been described as “marshalling the complex process” of the Labour manifesto policy development.
Business Policy Adviser and Shadow Minister without Portfolio
Lord (Stewart) Wood Lord Wood has been described as working very closely on all issues of policy development with Ed Miliband. He is reputedly responsible for selling Labour’s policy to the business and industry community.
DeHavilland Information Services Ltd 2015 www.dehavilland.co.uk 10
Director of Strategy and Planning
Greg Beales Previously working in the Delivery Unit under Tony Blair, Greg Beales is reportedly influential in key policy decisions and is regarded as personally responsible for the energy price freeze policy.
Chair of General Election Strategy
Douglas Alexander MP Since October 2013, Douglas Alexander has held overall responsibility for coordinating Labour’s 2015 election strategy.
Chair of the General Election Operations
Lucy Powell MP Managing and developing how Labour communicates and acts on delivering its electoral policies is Lucy Powell’s responsibility. She took over some of the responsibilities from Michael Dugher in late 2014.
Senior Strategic Adviser
David Axelrod Earlier this year Labour appointed the high-profile Mr Axelrod, who had previously worked on Barack Obama’s electoral campaign, was appointed as a Senior Adviser.
Electoral Strategy Adviser and Community Organisation Coordinator
Arnie Graf The continued role of Mr Graf, a former adviser to Barack Obama, in Labour’s policy development process is under question following reports he had be “fired” by Douglas Alexander, denied by Mr Alexander. Mr Graf has however had a major role in developing Labour’s “community organisers” strategy.
Chair
Angela Eagle MP (since May 2012) In May 2012, Shadow Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Angela Eagle was appointed Chair of the National Policy Forum. She may use her role as a conduit to fulfil her aim of returning the Labour Party to the ‘moderate left’ of British politics, embodied in her role as a founding member of the group, New Wave Labour.
DeHavilland Information Services Ltd 2015 www.dehavilland.co.uk 11
Vice Chairs
Bridget Phillipson MP (since June 2013) On 25 June 2013, Bridget Phillipson MP announced her position as the Vice Chair of the National Policy Forum on Twitter.
Simon Burgess (since July 2005) Marketing and Projects Manager at Hamilton Lodge School. Mr Burgess was the Labour and Co-operative candidate for Brighton Kemptown in the 2010 general election and was a City Councillor for eight years.
Billy Hayes General Secretary of the Communication Workers’ Union.
Click here for full membership.
Chair
Angela Eagle MP (since 2013) In 2013, Ms Eagle was elected Chair of the NEC by its members.
Vice-Chair
Jim Kennedy (since 2013) Union of construction, Allied Trades and technicians (UCATT) National Policy Officer Jim Kennedy was elected Vice-Chair of the NEC in 2013. He is also a member of the Trade Union and Labour Party Liaison Organisation (TULO) – the umbrella organisation that coordinates the activities of the 15 trade unions affiliated to Labour.
Click here for full membership.
DeHavilland Information Services Ltd 2015 www.dehavilland.co.uk 12
This briefing was originally published in early 2014. Since then, most of the processes detailed above have been completed, or are close to completion.
Additionally, Labour has already begun to unveil central planks of its policy offering, and these will form the basis of the party’s soon-to-be-published wider manifesto commitments.
DeHavilland Information Services Ltd 2015 www.dehavilland.co.uk 13