British Labour Party members in Northern Ireland have taken a step closer to fighting elections there under a deal struck yesterday with the leadership.
Party leaders avoided a potentially embarrassing race discrimination court case by reaching an agreement with Northern Ireland member Andy McGivern enabling members in the North to take part in party conferences and bodies.
The Belfast trade unionist had been behind legal action over the British Labour Party's refusal to let its Northern Ireland members set up constituency associations which could nominate people to conferences and bodies.
He claimed this meant members in Northern Ireland had been given second-class membership compared with their English, Scottish and Welsh colleagues.
Under the deal, Northern Ireland members will be able to set up their own forum once they have secured 200 party members. There are currently about 120 members of the party in the North.
The forum will be funded like a constituency party and will be able to send delegates and submit motions to party conferences.
Northern Ireland members of the British Labour Party will also have a guaranteed seat on its national policy forum and will be able to put forward candidates for election to the national executive committee.
Mr McGivern said: "It has been a long, hard struggle to reach this point. At last the Labour Party is giving people in Northern Ireland their democratic right to participate fully in the party and shape policy."In 2003, he forced Labour to overturn a 79-year ban on people in Northern Ireland joining the party by also initiating a race discrimination case.
Mr McGivern said that although Labour members would not initially be able to contest elections, the deal paved the way for that to happen in the future.
The deal was welcomed by Northern Ireland-born Labour MP Kate Hoey, who also welcomed the support deputy leadership candidate Alan Johnson had shown for Mr McGivern's campaign.