17.09.14
Labour Party to cancel conference if Scotland votes Yes
The Labour Party is planning to cancel the majority of its party conference next week if the Yes campaign wins the Scottish referendum on Thursday, according to the Huffington Post.
Anonymous senior Labour sources have told HuffPost UK that all speeches and fringe events would be cancelled, with the exception of the keynote address by party leader Ed Milliband, if Scotland votes for independence.
A vote to dissolve the union will likely result in a recall to Parliament over the weekend, or on Monday, which would cut into the annual Labour conference being held in Manchester. Also expected is a possible vote of no confidence in David Cameron tabled by Tory backbenchers, which would require the presence of the Parliamentary Labour Party in Westminster.
If the party scrap all the speeches from shadow ministers, as well as the many fringe events and receptions, it would deprive the party of important media attention in the run-up to next year’s general election.
"No-one thought about it," a senior Labour frontbencher told HuffPost UK when asked why the party leadership hadn't anticipated the party political fallout from a Yes vote in the Scottish referendum.
In the event of a Yes vote, and a Labour decision to cancel its conference, the Liberal Democrats may be forced to follow suit – their party conference this year is scheduled to be held in Glasgow on 4 October.
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