party structure

• Conservative party leaders are voted for by MPs until there are only 2 left at which point there is OMOV for all members. Rishi Sunak consistently received the most support among MPs in 2022 until Liz Truss won the members' vote.
• Labour leaders must receive the support of 10% of MPs and either 5% of constituency parties or 3 affiliations before entering the OMOV ballot which is conducted using AV.
• Lib Dem leaders must receive the support of 10% of MPs and 200 local members before entering the OMOV ballot which is conducted using AV.
• Labour used to use an electoral college to select their leader in which MPs counted for 1/3 of votes and the decision of trade unions counted for 1/3 which was less internally democratic
• To become a Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for a party one must be screened by the national party and included on the central list, then chosen for the PPC shortlist by the local party then selected by local members.
• PPCs are chosen by local members through hustings followed either by open primaries or members' votes
• Labour used all-women shortlists in some constituencies before the Equality Act and Conservatives used priority lists taking away the local party's power to select their PPC shortlist
• Charlotte Nichols is an example of an MP 'fast-tracked' by Labour although in reality it was because the previous Warrington North MP resigned shortly before a snap election.
• The Conservative PPC selection in Henley in 2023 had to be restarted after William Hall, chair of the local party was selected for the shortlist.
• Conservatives have local council boards called Conservative Associations.
• Labour has Branch Labour Parties (local) and Constituency Labour Parties containing some of these members.
• Local parties' main responsibilities are usually campaigning based
• The Lib Dems have several regional parties and a national one for each part of the UK.
• Lib Dem policy is largely revised at bi-annual regional conferences which are open to all members
• While the Labour party conference used to be the heart of policy formulation, Blair placed this responsibility with the National Policy Forum. Now the party conference is presented with detailed existing commissions
• Labour's National Policy Forum is split into 6 commissions co-convened by a secretary of state and NEC member.
• Labour’s National Exec Committee enforces party discipline and has final say over PPCs.
• NEC‘s 40 members include CLPs, MPs, affiliate unions and local councillors. Elections are highly factionalised.
• The Lib Dem Federal Board has 15 elected members out of 35 as well as a few MPs and the chairs of national parties.
• The Board of the Conservative Party is made up of reps from each section, with only 3 of 18 members from the grassroots party
• Conservative manifestos are written by leaders and close advisers. Major boasted his 1992 manifesto was ‘all him’
• The Conservative Policy Forum set up in 1998 has a purely advisory role