Labour “moderates” claimed victory in elections held at the annual general meeting (AGM) of one of the party’s five Hove branches last night (Wednesday 1 November).
They held off a challenge for most of the key positions from candidates who are more closely aligned with the party’s national leader Jeremy Corbin.
Caroline McKinlay was re-elected as the Wish and Westbourne Branch chair, seeing off Radio Reverb presenter Sophie Cook who ran an impressive general election campaign in East Worthing and Shoreham.
The sitting Conservative MP held the seat with a much-reduced majority.
Olivia “Liv” Cropper was re-elected vice-chair (campaigns) ahead of Sheila Hall and David Selo was re-elected as the branch secretary, beating Giorgio Finella.
Simon Battle was re-elected as the branch’s campaign organiser and Diane Mitchell was voted in as treasurer.
One member said that moderate candidates were picking up about 50 votes compared with 16 votes for the Momentum slate for most of the posts, calling the outcome “quite convincing”.
Councillor Tom Bewick, who represents Westbourne Ward on Brighton and Hove City Council, said: “I’d like to congratulate all those that stood for chair and branch officer positions this evening.
“Labour is truly a grass roots democratic socialist party and tonight’s meeting showed it.
“We have one of the strongest local campaigning units in the city as well as one of the biggest swings to Labour in the general election.
“Tonight’s results show we are a united party ready to displace the callous Tories from office nationally and as well as forge ahead with residents locally to return a majority Labour council in 2019.”
The Goldsmid and Hove Park Branch also met last night at BHASVIC (Brighton, Hove and Sussex VI Form College).
On Saturday morning (4 November) the Brunswick, Adelaide and Central Hove Branch is due to meet at the Cornerstone Community Centre, at St John’s Church, in Church Road, Hove.
On Wednesday (8 November) the Portslade Brach is due to meet at the City Coast Centre, in North Street, Portslade.
And the Hangleton and Knoll Branch is scheduled to meet next Thursday (9 November) in Elm Drive, Hove.
BTW for transparancy the left (Corbyn Supporters) took The Goldsmid and Hove Park Branch positions. but you gave it no coverage, biased Frank or? Moderates work against Corbyns Labour sadly.
Brighton and Hove news peddling their usual half truths to support their “moderate” Labour agenda and helping the Tories in the process by udermining the movement.
Olivia cropper and I stood on a Corbyn supporting platform and we object to being labelled ‘moderates’ just because we were not on Momentum slate.
We want a Labour govt elected on a socialist manifesto led by Corbyn
Good to see the Marxist Corbynites apparently fighting moderate socialists and also trying to distance themselves from the nasty Momentum thugs.
The Tories must be very happy with these pathetic antics.