Labour Future Candidates Programme

On Thursday 14th October 2021 successful applicants for Labour’s Future Candidates Programme (to be trained as potential Labour parliamentary candidates) were notified of their acceptance onto the programme.  They acknowledged their success with similarly worded and similarly structured social media messages that were sent at approximately the same time; each message included the same drawing (of a generic town hall frontage).  None of the messages included any political comments.

Successful candidates included serving councillors, a few longstanding Labour members and some who were not previously members of Labour.

According to Labour “our aim is to have a trained cohort of individuals who reflect the full diversity of our society, who understand what it means to stand for the Labour Party and what is expected of a Labour Party Parliamentary candidate at the next General Election, and who understand the lives of those they are seeking to represent.” Why you can be a Future Candidate

Successful applicants included the following

David Taylor: On 29th September 2021, two weeks before his application to be part of Future Candidates programme was accepted, he said, referring to Keir Starmer,

“what a difference it makes to have to have a leader of integrity in this country.” 

That comment was made a few days after Starmer abandoned all the pledges he made during the Labour leadership campaign in 2020. 

Taylor is a keen supporter of NATO military occupation of other countries.  On 15th August 2021, responding to Zarah Sultana’s accurate analysis that “permanent foreign military occupations can never be the basis for the development of democratic societies.  They are the negation of popular sovereignty, and by definition strangle democracy.  Anyone arguing otherwise is effectively defending colonial rule” he said

“even if they [a government] were coming to power through elections, if that leads to massive persecution of minorities or entire genders, how can that be legitimate either?  This person [Sultana] should not be in the Labour Party let alone an MP.” 

That is, Taylor thinks anyone who opposes UK military occupation of another country should be barred from being a UK MP. 

He attacks Jeremy Corbyn relentlessly for the latter’s desire for peaceful solutions to conflicts; Taylor prefers the bomb and/or invade strategy, or “humanitarian intervention.”

His hatred of socialists encourages him to throw libellous accusations around, particularly at anyone who opposes British militarism.  On 13th December 2019 he called Labour’s front bench

“this disgusting band of genocide deniers and anti-Semitism enablers.”

He supported Gerard Coyne in the Unite General Secretary election.  Responding to a comment on Cuba by outgoing General Secretary Len McCluskey Taylor said

“the Cuban regime doesn’t allow free trade unions. Vote for Gerard Coyne.” 

He is aware that, as a communist country with state-run industries, Cuba has very strong trade unions but the “free” trade unions that Taylor said were absent would be “free” in the right-wing pro-capitalist sense. 

On August 9th 2015 he displayed his contempt for democracy.

“I welcome growing calls to suspend Labour leadership contest.  Wrong to go ahead when Party has no idea who new voters are.” 

On 9th September 2020 he demanded that any Labour member who expresses support for Cuba or Venezuela should be expelled from the party. 

“[New code of conduct for NEC members] should include expulsion for anyone tweeting in support of / appearing at events celebrating dictatorial regimes e.g. Iran, Cuba, Venezuela.”

and on 18th March 2021 he claimed Venezuela is not a democracy.  He objected to the decision by the people of Bolivia to vote for the re-election of Evo Morales.

Mark Brown: Brown stood as a Tory candidate in 2019 election because he prefers Boris Johnson’s extreme libertarianism to Jeremy Corbyn’s socialism.

On socialism versus Starmer’s conservatism on 4th January 2022 he said “some would rather languish in opposition than take on the compromise of leadership.”

On 20th January 2022 he libelled Corbyn: “Corbyn is still refusing to acknowledge the antisemitic racism that took place under his watch and which he encouraged by his words and deeds.”   

Phil Brickell: Brickell is a “convenor” for right-wing Labour To Win led by Luke Akehurst.  Akehurst is a keen supporter of Saudi carpet-bombing of Yemeni civilians and was an employee of BICOM. 

In The road to No 10 runs through Greater Manchester Brickell claimed

“at Labour to Win, we will champion a welcoming, transparent party that supports our common goals,”

but Labour To Win said it “provides a space in which old members, new members, rejoiners and those let down by Jeremy Corbyn can find support and encouragement.”

In a reply on 17th November 2020 to Young Labour Chair Jess Barnard he complained that

“your call for unity rings empty when your recently published Labour List article failed to once criticise the Tories but engaged in repeated attacks on the shadow front bench.  Take the fight to the government, not our own side.”

However, Brickell does not abide by his instruction himself and his public statements include a lot of criticism, denigration and haughty dismissal of Labour members and activists who do not share his political views.

When Labour MPs, councillors or activists express support for Jeremy Corbyn Brickell responds habitually by asking whether the person supports the ECHR report “in full.”

For example, 2nd November 2020 in reply to Labour MP Mary Kelly Foy,

“do you accept the EHRC’s findings & recommendations in full?  If not, why?”

and 30th October 2020 in reply to former Labour MP Laura Pidcock,

“why won’t Corbyn accept in full the findings & recommendations in the EHRC’s report?  And do you accept them?”

On 25th May 2021 he asked

“when was it acceptable [for Jeremy Corbyn] to share a platform with Kerry-Anne Mendoza from the Canary?”

On 17th July 2021 he excused Labour’s failure to publish the Forde report and claimed legal reasons prevented its publication.

“Forde inquiry is independent of the party & dependent on ongoing ICO investigations into the party from 2015-20.  Labour has no say over it.”

But, The Forde inquiry is not independent of Labour and ICO investigations began after the report could have been published.

He excused Labour’s decision to not vote against Tories’ Covert Human Intelligence Sources Bill.

“The strategy on CHIS Bill was to abstain at 2nd reading, seek to amend at committee stage then vote against at 3rd reading.”

There is no logic to Brickell’s explanation.

On 18th November 2020 he dismissed Andrew Scattergood’s complaint that Labour party branches and CLPs are not being allowed to discuss motions about Corbyn’s suspension.

“He [Scattergood] hasn’t digested the content in the EHRC report around the party’s liability for the actions of its agents ie. denying unlawful acts.”

On the same issue, on 24th of the same month, he said

“unlawful acts, agents of the party, ongoing EHRC report response, pending litigation.  Young Labour’s Chair just doesn’t get it.  There’s no way an official party organ should be discussing & tweeting about Corbyn’s case.  Doing so could incur further legal liability for Labour.”

But, there are absolutely no legal implications for Labour if its members discuss Corbyn’s suspension.  The “party’s liability” is a political decision by Starmer and his colleagues.  No court judgement has occurred that imposed any “liability” on Labour in relation to the ECHR report.  There is no “pending litigation.”  Incoherent threats from complainants are not “pending litigation.”

On 20th June 2020, when discussing Labour Together’s report on Labour’s loss at 2019 general election, Brickell complained that the report did not mention

“electoral concerns over foreign & defence policy positions associated with him [Corbyn].”

The report didn’t mention such concerns because there were none.  Most people are not bomb-loving imperialists like Labour To Win.  In the same statement he claimed voters yelled “IRA” and “Hamas” at him when he was campaigning for that election.  That invention was just a facet of Labour To Win’s keenness for war.

Despite being a “convenor” for Labour To Win he called himself a “grassroots member.”

He is opposed to Jewish Voice For Labour, that describes itself as “a network for Jewish members of the Labour Party.”  On 14th December 2020 he said

“JVL – no thanks.”

Adam Thompson: Thompson has never stated whether or not he is a socialist.  In his blog he said

“I am known locally for my ability to provide reason and measured debate; I am often able to facilitate consensus between people with differing opinions.”  

In On the general election and the Labour leadership he said

“I’ve found myself backing the same candidate [Lisa Nandy] as friends with whom I never agree with on policy positions, representing all aspects of the Labour party.  I have staunch hardcore socialist friends backing Lisa, and I have proud centrist friends backing Lisa.” 

Nandy received 7% of the vote.

He said he voted for Jeremy Corbyn in the 2015 leadership election.

Abdi Duale: Duale displayed the narrowness of his preferred vision of Labour’s appeal on 30th September 2021 with an insult aimed at people who supported Jeremy Corbyn.

“The irony of people who supported Jeremy Corbyn’s failed leadership for five years lecturing Keir on electability, will never cease to amaze me.  They clearly have the self awareness of a shellfish.”

His warped view of Corbyn’s leadership was a contrast to his delusional appreciation of Starmer.  The day before the above comment he said

“this is an excellent speech by Keir Starmer, it oozes competence and confidence.  It’s also a clear change from five years of incompetence,”

he called people who heckled Starmer during his speech

“absolutely rotten beings, the sooner we show them the door, the better,”

and he described Momentum as “a horrible bunch.”

Childlike remarks are all that Duale has and they are expressed with complete insincerity and accompanied by bland repetition of slogans.

He is very keen for socialists to be ejected from Labour.  On 17th July 2021 he was pleased that several groups in Labour, including Resist and Socialist Appeal, were to be proscribed by Starmer.

“Great news, the first of many groups I hope.”

He added that he hoped socialist MPs would be ejected as well.

“Kick out any Labour MPs who share a platform with them too.”

Socialist MP Zarah Sultana is a popular target for Labour’s right and Duale did not forget to include her among recipients of his witlessness.  On 12th October 2021 he demanded that she should no longer have the Labour whip because she offered support to socialist Irish novellist Sally Rooney.

“Imagine supporting the boycott of the Hebrew language.  Completely bigoted and another reason the whip should be removed.”

There are several problems (lies) with Duale’s comment.  Rooney has not boycotted the Hebrew language and she is happy for her book to be translated into Hebrew.  He knows that.  He lied knowingly.  His description of Rooney as “bigoted” is libel.  He said Sultana’s support was “another reason” for action to be taken against her.  The other “reasons” could be any of her socialist comments or analyses.

On 14th August 2021 during the leadership election for Unite he said that right-wing candidate “Gerard [Coyne] has been nothing short of an inspiration.”

Vince Barry-Stanners: In December 2020 during the Labour leadership campaign he said

“Starmerism is a return to a Labour Party which is proud to say it’s patriotic.  Britain is a ‘small c’ conservative country which favours gradual progress [rather] than system overhaul.” 

Reacting to Starmer’s 2021 conference speech Barry-Stanners said

“I’m thoroughly impressed.  It’s clear that Labour is once again under patriotic, progressive leadership.” 

He didn’t explain why he thinks leadership needs to be “patriotic.”  

Speaking about the withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan he said

“at a time when the west is facing an expansionist Russia and an emboldened China, it is crucial that we defend our values.” 

He did not give examples of any “expansionism” or “emboldenment” or why he thinks such behaviour by Russia or China, if true, is anything to do with the UK.  The phrase “our values,” expressed in combat to Russian or Chinese “values,” was a straightforward xenophobic remark. 

In 2017 he admitted “he had personal friends who vote Conservative.”

Josh Tapper: After failing to achieve sufficient ‘A’ level grades for a university place Tapper became a reality TV “star” and used his resultant unearned fame to get a civil service apprenticeship with the Tory government in 2017 and later a job as Theresa May’s assistant campaign manager. 

He said of his time working for the Tories that

“you feel you’re doing something that has a purpose to it, something that matters.  You feel like what you’re doing is going to make a difference to people’s lives.” 

Two years later he moved to think-tank Demos as Communications Officer. 

In June 2021 he was “elected” as Communications Officer for Hendon Constituency Labour Party (CLP) after Labour had suspended sitting socialist members of the CLP.

Joanne Harding: Since Jeremy Corbyn’s election as Labour leader in 2015 Harding’s pastime is petulant, snide comments directed at him and at his supporters.  None of the comments have facts, substance or analysis. 

For example, (14th July 2016)

“Corbyn’s uselessness has lost its charm”

and (30th October 2020)

“He loves the adoration, he’s no leader just a petty man desperate for the ‘Oh, Jeremy Corbyn’.” 

On 20th May 2021 she mocked Corbyn’s opposition to antisemitic manipulation of the cover of a book by acclaimed childrens’ author Michael Rosen, a Corbyn supporter. 

On NHS, she said on 4th August 2016

“I did suggest to Jeremy Corbyn as a National Policy Forum representative that we can’t be that purist and rule out 3rd sector [privateers].” 

She was a member of Progress and wrote an article for it on 23rd February 2017 in which she said

“I was disappointed, to say the least, when Labour’s knee-jerk reaction was to describe Tory ‘sustainability and transformation plans’ as ‘a dagger pointed at the heart of the NHS’ to be resisted and opposed.” 

Ella Rose: Rose worked at a country’s embassy in London as Public Affairs Officer between September 2015 and August 2016.  She admitted in an interview that during her time at the embassy and afterward she worked with Shai Masot, an employee of the embassy, who was later expelled from UK for spying. 

In the same interview she issued an extreme threat of violence against Labour party member Jackie Walker.

“I saw Jackie Walker on Saturday and thought, you know what, I could take her, she’s like 5’2 and tiny.  That’s why I can take Jackie Walker.  Krav Maga training (military hand-to-hand combat technique).  I’m not bad at it.  If it came to it I would win, that’s all I really care about.” 

Jackie Walker is a socialist and a campaigner against racism.

Keir Mather: Mather’s definition of “morals” appears to be awry.  In a response on 18th July 2016 to Dianne Abbott’s criticism of John Woodcock’s enthusiasm for Trident nuclear missiles Mather claimed Woodcock’s stance was a “question of morals and shouldn’t be for political point scoring.”

Mather didn’t know that Woodcock would resign from Labour party in 2018 to avoid an investigation into an accusation of inappropriate sexual behaviour, that Woodcock would continue as an “independent” MP rather than call a by-election, thus stealing a parliamentary seat from voters, that Woodcock would abstain in a vote of confidence in prime minister Theresa May in 2019, that Woodcock would accept a job as “special envoy” for the Tory government before the next general election, that in that election (2019) Woodcock would campaign for the Tories, that Woodcock would accept a peerage from Boris Johnson in 2020, and that Woodcock would be appointed “independent adviser on political violence and disruption” by the Tories in 2021 to lead an investigation into the activities of Extinction Rebellion and Black Lives Matter.

On 11th April 2018 Mather called novellist and socialist Ken Loach a “bigoted white old man” and claimed Loach “supported racists” because he attended an event with Jackie Walker.

Jackie Walker is a socialist and a campaigner against racism.

On 24th April 2018 Mather said

“God. I. Am. Sick. Of. Jeremy. Corbyn.”

Matt Ward: Ward heartily disapproved of people choosing to join Labour to support Jeremy Corbyn. 

On 26th June 2016 he said 

“I hope when we have this leadership contest [2016 contest between Corbyn and Owen Smith], the £3 vote isn’t a bloody option“

and added

“they brought a vote.  Where were these new members come election time [2015 general election]?”

He seemed to fail to understand that new members joined Labour because Corbyn was leader; he was not the leader at the previous election.

Contradicting himself, a week later on 5th July Ward opined that

“the truth is we don’t know how many [new members] are joining to support Jeremy or how many are joining to get rid of him.”

Ward was an active supporter of ice-cream salesman Owen Smith during the campaign for the pointless leadership contest in 2016.  His support for Smith consisted of factless, contentless, snide comments, punctuated by blatant lies including

“Jeremy Corbyn is the Tories greatest asset, with him as leader we will take a serious beating,”
“Corbyn talks like he’s already won this contest.  Every phone bank I have done he’s behind,”
“people that voted for Corbyn last year are now backing Owen.  Not individuals but families!  Working class folk backing a leader for government,”
and “we now have a challenge that I am confident we will win.  Corbyn cannot be leader when he can’t hold the govt to account.”

On 8th September 2016 he claimed

“I’ve not had one member of the public say they want or trust Jeremy Corbyn as prime minister.”

Corbyn won the contest comfortably despite a plethora of underhand tactics by Iain McNicol designed to disenfranchise voters.

Wards’ reaction to the appointment of Dianne Abbott as shadow Home Secretary was a photo of a celebrity with his head in his hand.

As a contrast, on 8th August 2016 he described Mike Gapes as a “dedicated Labour MP” in a published statement that he later deleted.  Gapes left Labour in 2019 to be one of the co-founders of Change UK but he did not stand for re-election in a by-election and, thus, stole his parliamentary seat from the voters.

Graham Whitham: Sarcasm is Trafford councillor Whitham’s favourite mode of communication and he never supports his sarcastic remarks with ideas, policies or proposals of his own.

He chose to blame the result of the 2016 EU referendum on Jeremy Corbyn and, afterward, he offered only terse dismissals of anything the latter said or did.  A comment by Whitham on 12th July 2016, a few weeks after the referendum, set the tone of his debating skills.

“it saddens me that I already know that Corbyn & team have no strategy for overcoming it [Brexit] & won’t attempt to.

On the following day he said

“I’ve not heard much in the way of policy from Corbyn to be honest.  Just rhetoric.”

On 20th January 2017 he agreed with former Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron who accused Corbyn of “lamely giving up over Brexit.”

Jasmin Beckett: In 2016 in an election for Young Labour representative on Labour’s NEC Beckett asked her supporters to post social media messages that repeated false allegations against another candidate.  She asked that, in any such messages, logos or “twibbons,” that identified the poster as a Beckett supporter, should not be included.  She won the election by a single vote.  She made accusations of irregularities in the election as a ruse to distract from what she and her supporters had done. 

Up to 2019 general election she made more accusations of a variety of wrongdoings by Labour against her and her political colleagues, both to denigrate socialists in Labour and to acquire media coverage for herself. 

On Sky News on 17th June 2018 she said she and some colleagues from centrist lobby group Our Future, Our Choice were physically ejected from a Labour Live event after they unfurled a banner and chanted slogans to disrupt a speech by Jeremy Corbyn.  Photographic, video and eye-witness accounts showed that her claim was a lie.  Included in her lie was a claim that journalist Kevin Schofield witnessed what happened; Schofield was not at the event. 

As a response to Emily Thornberry’s reasonable criticism of military action against protesters wherein Thornberry described “vicious and utterly avoidable slaughter” Beckett said

“farcical and uninformed response to the deaths at the border.  Such a statement plays into the hands of Hamas.”

Ryan Wain: Wain is Political Director of Tony Blair Institute.  That is all you need to know about him.

Future parliamentary candidates
All the above are expected to become parliamentary candidates in the future.  The dual policy of ejecting socialists and promoting right-wingers is a key part of Starmer’s strategy.