The campaign to beat the pandemic

Momentum Policy Primary: Labour must put forward an alternative on Covid

We’re taking part in the Momentum policy primary again this year! The policy primary provides an opportunity for Momentum members to vote on which motions to push to get on the Labour Party’s Conference agenda.

Please support the Covid Pandemic motion (No. 18) in the Momentum Policy Primary ballot and move it in your CLP or affiliated organisation to get it discussed at Conference.

Our Covid Pandemic motion calls for a change of strategy to prioritise the health of the population. We want to see improved ventilation in public spaces, research into Long Covid and renewed investment in our public health infrastructure. Read our critique of Labour’s current platform from January.

Our motion is at 18 in the list of 20 published by Momentum.

Ballots opened on 21 April and close at 5pm on 28 April. Momentum members can shortlist up to 10 policies, and then rank them in descending order, with their most preferred option at the top.

After the votes are counted, the most popular five policies will form Momentum’s platform for Labour Party Conference.

Votes will be counted under the Single Transferrable Vote system.

While Momentum’s backing is important, motions to Labour Party Conference have to be put forward by constituency Labour Parties, affiliated trade unions or socialist societies. So if you are a Labour Party member please put our motion to your CLP when they decide which motion to put to Conference. The deadline for Conference motions is 15 September, which means many CLPs will discuss them at their July meetings.

Covid Pandemic

SARS-CoV2 has touched us all – through bereavement; chronic illness; loss of income/opportunities; increased mental/physical health problems; increasing inequalities.

Conference condemns the Tory government’s neo-liberal dogmatism, incompetence, corruption, repeated failure to take timely decisions, reliance on vaccines and herd immunity, which have led to one of the highest per capita death tolls in the world.

It has failed to follow the most basic infection control procedures – test, isolate, contact trace, vaccinate, mitigate against further infections; and by recklessly removing all protections has caused more death, illness and suffering than necessary.

SARS-CoV2 remains a threat to humanity; and the climate crisis means that more pandemics are inevitable as ecosystems are destroyed, and more zoonotic diseases jump species. Conference condemns the Tory government for backing the interests and profits of Big Pharma rather than support waiving vaccine patents and sharing knowhow.

Conference calls for a change of strategy to prioritise the health of the population; and for Labour to demand the government:

• Publish the interim conclusions of the Independent Covid Inquiry within the year to inform the UK’s ongoing and future pandemic response and planning.
• Invest in improved ventilation and other mitigations in private and public buildings; and establish mandatory criteria for air quality of indoor spaces.
• Fund ongoing research into Long Covid and next generation vaccine development.
• Launch a new deal for an innovative, forward thinking public health infrastructure; strengthen public services, reduce inequalities and build a society more resilient to the extreme effects of pandemics now and in the future.