Peter Mason, leader of Ealing council and a former Jewish Labour Movement (JLM) national secretary, was elected to the Labour Party’s governing body, the National Executive Committee (NEC), on Wednesday.
Reacting to his victory, Mason said on social media that his victory marked a change in direction for Labour: “There was a time in the Labour Party’s recent past when I led with others what felt like a constant battle with the leadership and the NEC for them to take their Jewish members experience of antisemitism seriously.
“Now I’m on it. The Party has fundamentally changed for the better.”
JLM welcomed his election, posting on X/Twitter: “Peter was instrumental in bringing about our EHRC [Equality and Human Rights Commission] referral, which was key to making Labour a safe space for Jews once again. He'll do a fantastic job on the NEC.”
The former JLM chief was one of four candidates backed by moderate, pro-Starmer grouping Labour to Win (LTW), who retained the number of seats they held prior to this election.
Candidates backed by far-left group Momentum, founded to support the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn in the party, were reduced from four representatives to three. Two other independent candidates were also elected.
A LTW spokesperson described the result as a “decisive victory” for Starmer’s supporters. They told the JC: “In the NEC we have retained four Constituency Labour Party (CLP) reps, making it the first time in 20 years that we have more seats than the left in the CLP division.”
They continued: “This also marks an overwhelming majority for supporters of the leadership across the NEC as a whole.”
Abdi Duale, one of the moderate-backed candidates who retained his seat, told the JC he was “delighted” to be re-elected, calling the results “a big win for mainstream party members who support the change we have made to the Labour Party that led us to a landslide victory.”
He went on, “Now, with a new general secretary in place, the party’s focus will squarely be on returning a Labour government in Wales and Scotland and Labour Councillors across the country in the next two years.”
Previous members of the Labour to Win slate on the NEC have included former We Believe in Israel director Luke Akehurst, Joanna Baxter and Gurinder Singh Josan who were all elected to parliament at the recent general election and therefore not eligible to stand in the CLP section.
The NEC is additionally comprised of MPs from the cabinet, from the Parliamentary Labour Party and officials from affiliated trades unions and makes key decisions on the party’s internal governance.
