CSM welcomes election of new Labour leader
CSM welcomes the election of Ed Miliband as the new leader of the Labour Party. Ed Miliband has praised the role that the Christian Socialist Movement plays in the Labour Party. This was a position he underlined at the CSM leadership hustings event in July and which he repeated shortly after his election. He also highlighted, at our fiftieth anniversary reception (below), CSM's role at the forefront of Labour's renewal, with its Labour Neighbours project. Moreover, Ed Miliband received more first preference votes from CSM members than the other leadership candidates.
The 50th anniversary reception was hosted by CSM Chair Rt Hon Alun Michael MP who commented : “Our photograph says it all – there’s the new Leader of the Labour Party giving credit to CSM’s role in renewal. There are the Anglican Dean and the Roman Catholic Archbishop – being both courteous and challenging to us. And our partners were the Christian community in Manchester who helped us to stage this important event. What is important to us is the support of the prayers of so many people and the privilege we have to provide a Christian voice, with a deep sense of social justice, into the daily work of the Labour Movement.”
CSM believes that this is an exciting time for the Labour Party, and for Christians involved in it. We have a leader who wants Christians to play an active part in renewing the Party and securing victory at the next election. At this year's Labour conference we have detected a feeling amongst activists that people are keen to work together, and Christians involved in Labour politics certainly have a part to play.
CSM Director Andy Flannagan said: "We're really excited at being part of the work of renewing the Labour Party and the signs from the new leader are very positive. We're looking for more people to join CSM and join us on the journey."
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