LABOUR PARTY'S KEY SEATS STRATEGY

EDM number 87 in 1997-98, proposed by Ken Livingstone on 06/06/1997.

That this House notes the report on the General Election to the Labour Party NEC which points out that although the average swing to Labour nationally was 9.9 per cent. in Labour's 91 target seats it was 11.8 per cent.; and therefore justifies the vast concentration of resources from Milbank Tower on these seats, but is concerned that the report omits to mention that in the 54 non-target seats which were won by the Labour Party without any centralised assistance from Milbank Tower the swing to Labour was 14.3 per cent.; and therefore concludes that, instead of continuing to import counterproductive, expensive American campaigning techniques into British politics with the consequent demand for state funding following in their wake, this House should instead legislate to control and limit national party election expenditure with an upper limit of ú6 million per party.

This motion has been signed by a total of 14 MPs.