LABOUR PARTY EXECUTIVE

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26515, 1 September 1951, Page 7

LABOUR PARTY EXECUTIVE

CHALLENGE BY BEVAN GROUP. (Rec. 8.30 p.m.) LONDON. August 30. The agenda for the Labour Party's forthcoming conference, issued today, disclosed that the supporters of Mr Aneurin Bevan, former Minister of Labour, who oppose the scale of British rearmament, are making a big bid to capture power on the party's national executive.

Mr Bevan’s supporters are among the 29 nominees for the seven constituency representatives on the executive. The national conference will be held at Scarborough in October. If they increase their present strength of three even by one it will mean the defeat of one of the principal Government Ministers, who are constituency nominees.

Mr Bevan, who resigned from the Government protesting that the arms programme was too big and would cut living standards, is at present on the executive with the biggest vote of any constituency candidate. Two supporters. Mr Tom Driberg, and Mr lan Mikardo. are also members.

Others of the Bevan group now nominated for seats on the executive are Mr Harold Davies and Mr Harold Wilson, a former President of the Board of Trade, who resigned with Mr Bevan.

Mr Emrys Hughes, another nominee, has also praised Mr Bevan's views on rearmament. The executive committee of 27 includes the chairman «(Miss Alice Bacon), the vice-chairman and secretary. the Prime Minister (Mr Attlee), as Leader of the Parliamentary Labour Party. 11 trade unionists, seven constituency members, four women's section members, and a nominee of the co-operative movement