Labour’s NEC bans three more far-left groups

Labour’s national executive committee (NEC) has voted to proscribe three more far-left organisations at a key meeting of the party’s ruling body on Tuesday.

Two of the groups now banned – the Labour Left Alliance (LLA) and the Socialist Labour Network (SLN)  – are closely linked to organisations banned by the NEC last year.

Several members of the LLA can also be linked to the Jewish Voice For Labour organisation, set up to defend Jeremy Corbyn over allegations of antisemitism.

A  current statement on the LLA website reads: “Ukraine: Troops out! Abolish NATO!”

One of the groups stated aims is to oppose “attempts to conflate anti-Zionism with antisemitism” and says it “opposes the witch-hunt against the left.”

Meanwhile the SLN website states it was formed “to build a new network for all those expelled, suspended, silenced and alienated by the witch-hunt against the left.”

It adds: “Hundreds of us have already been suspended, expelled, silenced and thoroughly alienated. It’s time we got organised! ”

The third group Alliance for Workers’ Liberty (AWL), was banned over claims it is a Trotskyist entry party, and is an organisation previously proscribed by the Labour Party.

It is a membership organisation not affiliated or associated under a national agreement with the Labour and possesses its own programme, principles, policy, distinct and separate propaganda, and has its own branches in parliamentary constituencies.

Although unlike LLA and SLN, members of AWL had campaigned against antisemitism both in Labour and in the wider socialist movement in the past.

AWL had deregistered with the Electoral Commission just two days after Corbyn was elected party leader, in order to support his leadership.

At Tuesday’s meeting it is understood the NEC voted 20-11 to ban LLA, 19-11 to ban SLN and 20-11 to outlaw AWL.

Last year, the NEC proscribed four other groups – Socialist Appeal, Labour in Exile Network, Labour Against the Witchhunt and Resist –  and members of these groups have been auto-excluded from the party.

Further details supporting the NEC’s decision to ban the groups included the claim SLN was a de facto membership organisation launched at the start of 2022, formed by a merger of Labour Against the Witch-hunt and Labour In Exile Network – two groups that were proscribed by Labour’s NEC in July 2021.

LLA was also ruled to be a membership organisation with close links to organisations proscribed by the  NEC in July 2021, namely Labour Against the Witch-hunt and Labour In Exile Network.

A Labour spokesperson said: “The NEC has decided that these organisations are not compatible with Labour’s rules, or our aims and values.”