A row has broken out within Welsh Labour as it emerged that a former Birmingham MP is to challenge ex-First Minister Carwyn Jones for his seat on Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee.
Lynne Jones, who represented Birmingham Selly Oak from 1992 until 2010, is hoping to become Wales’ representative on the NEC following a contest with Mr Jones later this year.
She has the backing of the left wing Momentum group that was set up to support Jeremy Corbyn when he was party leader, and of its Welsh affiliate Welsh Labour Grassroots.
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As an MP Ms Jones was a member of the Socialist Campaign Group, a faction on the left of the party, becoming its chair.
Between 1997 and 2007 she rebelled against the Labour government 228 times, voting against the Iraq war and NHS reform in England.
After stepping down from Westminster, she moved with her husband to the Brecon and Radnorshire constituency, where she has served as chair of the local party.
In a statement she has posted to Twitter, Ms Jones says: “Labour is under constant pressure from powerful institutions that work for the 1% not the many our party was established to represent.
“Since devolution, Welsh Labour has resisted these influences and shown that Socialist policies are popular and win votes. Our NEC representative must assert these values and ensure that members are heard.
“My experience as a determined campaigner with principled politics equips me well to do this.
“Joining Labour in 1974, I stood three times in the same Tory-held council seat before I won, and held it when ‘safer’ Labour seats were lost at Thatcher’s peak.
“In 1992, I defeated the Tory incumbent to become MP for Birmingham Selly Oak, which I represented until 2010.
“I was chair of the Socialist Campaign Group. My successor in that role, John McDonnell, has commended my commitment and attention to detail.
“Since moving to Wales in 2012, I have been active in Brecon and Radnorshire, serving as Constituency Labour Party chair and branch secretary.
“If elected, I would work for a more democratic, member-centred party and provide regular report-backs.
“I am supported by Welsh Labour Grassroots and Momentum.”
Carwyn Jones, who was the AM and then MS for Bridgend from the founding of the then National Assembly in 1999 until stepping down last year, confirmed that he would be standing for re-election to the NEC, but did not wish to comment further.
He joined the NEC in 2020 after narrowly defeating Pontypridd MS Mick Antoniw for the vacant seat.
Party members are not allowed to be critical of each other during interna elections, but a source who will be supporting Carwyn Jones said: “Lynne Jones would be a divisive figure and should not be representing Wales on the NEC.
“When she stood down from Westminster, she said she was likely to support a member of George Galloway’s Respect party who was standing against a sitting Labour MP.
“This is not the sort of person we need to represent us.”
At the time Ms Jones said that rather than supporting Labour MP Roger Godsiff who was on the right of the party and stood in the nearby Birmingham Hall Green seat, she was likely to be backing Respect’s Salma Yaqoob.
Mr Godsiff kept his seat, while Ms Yaqoob was the runner-up.
Labour officials indicated at the time that they had no wish to make her a martyr by taking disciplinary action against her. They also pointed out that she had said she “may” support Ms Yaqoob.
Darren Williams, one of the founders of Welsh Labour Grassroots who is himself a former member of Labour’s NEC, said: “Lynne is a principled and hard-working member of the party who has a great deal of experience and would make an excellent representative for Wales on the NEC.”
Mr Williams acknowledged that the party’s left wing had lost some support in Wales because some members had left since Mr Corbyn had ceased to be leader.
In this year’s election to the party’s Welsh Executive Council, whose results were announced last week, Welsh Labour Grassroots won five of the geographical seats, having previously held nine.
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