Another month has wrapped up, and we're now just 6 days out from the Senedd, Holyrood, and English local elections taking place on Thursday 7th May.
We all know that these elections will be a real test for Labour.
By all indications, the case for a bolder, brighter and broader Labour Party - what we are fighting for together - is only going to become more urgent.
That's why we've been out campaigning across the UK this month, as well as continuing to make space for big ideas, progressive organising and building our collective power.
Here's a round-up of what Mainstream got up to in April.
Labour Party members across the country are working hard to elect and re-elect brilliant Labour candidates ahead of May - in what we all have to acknowledge are extremely difficult political conditions.
We've been out campaigning to make a success of 7th May, and we know that you have too.
In April, we organised additional canvassing sessions in Surrey, Cardiff, Birmingham, London and Sheffield.
Thank you to all of you who have been able to join a session and lent a hand so far, and good luck to those of you standing for election next week.
We'll be out in Milton Keynes tomorrow, so do join us there if you can.
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We were appalled by the recent news that Peter Mandelson was appointed Ambassador to the US before full security vetting had even been carried out, vetting which then raised serious red flags.
His appointment was a disastrous decision that we have long been critical of.
After the hearing of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee on 21st April, at which it was suggested that a culture of pressure and control was behind the appointment, we reiterated that the centralisation and patronage at the top of our party must end.
We put mainstream Labour Party members and candidates at the heart of our response, making clear that this latest scandal would only make the already challenging 7th May elections more difficult.
Our party's ongoing challenges - declining membership numbers, voter apathy, missteps and missed opportunities in government - all require a decisive response and for Labour to be bolder, brighter and broader than ever before.
We must secure tangible improvements in living standards, provide security in the context of an increasingly unstable world, and take on the fierce electoral threats to our left and right.
All of this is possible - we can transform the country. But only if we transform Labour.
That's why we're fighting hard to secure nominations for Mainstream's NEC and NPF candidates before the end of June.
Find out more about our brilliant progressive candidates and pledge to get them nominated in your Constituency Labour Party below.
Support the NEC and NPF campaign
This year's Labour Party Conference, taking place from 27th to 30th September, will be a crucial moment for championing the new politics rooted in radical realism that Mainstream represents.
We need to ensure that Labour's mainstream is at the centre of the action.
Will you be attending as a delegate?
Let us know using the button below.
In April, we held our very first In Conversation With event, at which we heard from the brilliant Helen Godwin, Labour's Mayor of the West of England.
Helen shared lessons from her hard-fought campaign in which she saw off challenges from Reform's Arron Banks and the Green Party, and spoke about her trailblazing regional work on child poverty and more.
Last night, we held our regular Organising Forum at which we were joined by Matthew Brown, Labour Leader of Preston City Council and a pioneer of community wealth building in the UK.
We explored what you, our members, are hearing on the doorstep ahead of 7th May and how this should shape what we do to organise within Labour for change.
Weren't able to join us this month? We're adding recordings of some of our recent events to YouTube. Catch up using the button below.
We published some thoughtful and imaginative ideas on the Mainstream Blog this month, including:
Thanks to those of you who responded to our recent call for submissions.
If you missed it, you can use the button below to pitch an idea:
Mainstream is thrilled to be hosting a panel discussion at an ideas and organising festival hosted by the Progressive Economy Forum and Compass, one of Mainstream's co-founding organisations, on Saturday 30th May.
I'll be chairing our panel with Caitlin Prowle, Assistant General Secretary of the Co-operative Party; Hannah Rich, Director of Christians on the Left; Paul Fleming, General Secretary of Equity; and Marc Stears, Director of the UCL Policy Lab.
A number of Labour figures will be at the event, including Andy Burnham, Miatta Fahnbulleh MP and Clive Lewis MP.
Secure your tickets below:
As ever, thank you for your determination and support for our common project of building a popular, principled and practical left politics within Labour.
May is likely to be a rocky month for our party.
Let's not just weather the upcoming storms, but set the direction of travel to a better politics for our country.
In solidarity,
Kerry
Chair, Mainstream
