Blair seizes power from the activists

Historic changes to the way the Labour Party governs itself, aimed at preventing public rows between a Blair government and party activists, were rubber stamped yesterday.

The once all-powerful national executive loses much of its influence and the annual conference, often the scene of disputes between the party leadership and the left, would become a showcase for government policies.

Tony Blair described the reforms as "a great step forward."

"It changes the whole way party institutions work. We are creating a broad-based party, genuinely representative of the communities we seek to serve," he said.

A Labour prime minister;'s office would have a strengthened and powerful grip over the party and political machine. In addition, a new policy-making committee would be headed by Mr Blair and John Prescott, the deputy leader.

The annual conference will no longer debate resolutions from local parties but instead debate proposals from regional and national policy forums which are already being developed.

The National Executive, which approved the plans yesterday, will be changed so that more ordinary members have seats.

Mr Blair will be able to pick members of the Cabinet or shadow Cabinet to sit on the body, though yesterday the shadow Chancellor, Gordon Brown, said he planned to stand down from it. The document is critical of the way constituency parties are run, though it stops short of dictating how they should be run and says that there is more work to be done.

"Many parties have mostly been quite inward-looking, with campaigning activity being confined to narrow election work and providing little opportunity for political discussion. Until recently few new members have made the transition into activity, placing increasing burdens on a declining number of activists," it says.

Consultation on the document, Labour into Power, will be followed by a debate at the conference this Autumn, but party sources said they expected it to be accepted.They said it was aimed at giving new influence to ordinary members as well as maintaining links with unions and other organisations.

Dennis Skinner, a veteran left-winger and the only member of the 23-strong committee to vote against the plans yesterday, said that as constituencies would no longer be able to elect MPs to the NEC he would lose his seat.

"I've managed to survive for about 20 years on and off by a democratic process. But under these new orders I shan't even be allowed to stand in the constituency section," he said.

There was criticism of the measures from other left-wingers. Tony Benn, who had many NEC disputes with Harold Wilson during the Labour administration in the 1970s, said they were part of the "Americanisation" of the party and would marginalise minorities within it.

"Minorities turn out to be majorities. If you suppress debate, you remove the vitality of the party," he said.

Donald Macintyre, page 17