Since the General Election on 12th December, Island Labour membership has risen by 118, taking the party to nearly 1,000 members on the Isle of Wight.
New members joining before 20th January will be able to vote in the Labour leadership contest.
Progressive momentum behind Labour Party
Island Labour Chair, Julian Critchley (pictured left), said:
“I think this is probably down to three factors. Firstly, there are people joining in order to ensure their voice can be heard in the leadership election. Secondly, we always receive a boost to membership after a general election, because the increased focus on the political situation inspires people to join up.
“On the Island, there’s a third factor, which is that we’ve shown that 2017 wasn’t a one-off result, and the progressive momentum locally is all behind the Labour Party.
“Despite Labour’s vote falling nationally, our vote grew here on the Isle of Wight, demonstrating the strength of the party locally.”
Julian went on to say,
“The local elections are next year, and Islanders who are desperate to remove the Tories from power in Newport are now under no illusions as to which party will be challenging them.
“To put this in context, in 2017, the total Tory vote in Council elections across the Island was 18,377.
“In December, Richard Quigley’s (pictured right) vote as Labour candidate was 18,078. So we know there are enough Labour voters out there to win many seats on the council and remove the Tories’ majority. Our job now is to get those voters to turn out next year.”
He finished by saying
“I’m delighted to welcome all our new members, particularly those who have previously supported other progressive parties, to Island Labour.
“There’s a real need for change on the Island, and through the efforts of our members, we’re going to deliver it.”
News shared by Julian on behalf of Island Labour. Ed
Image: © With kind permission of Allan Marsh
