AN investigative news outlet has reportedly been blocked from attending the Labour Party conference next week – for the third year in a row.
Three Declassified UK reporters applied for media passes for the event which is Andy Burnham's first as Prime Minister, but were denied. The outlet reported that Labour said passes would be issued only to applicants “with a relevant portfolio".
“We reserve the right to reject an application if we cannot find any evidence the applicant is a working journalist or photographer with a political portfolio or working on behalf of a relevant media outlet," a Labour official reportedly said in the rejection email.
Declassified have said requests to appeal the decision, or a refund of the £420 entry fee for each application, have not been answered.
The move has led to condemnation from the NUJ and Labour MPs.
NUJ’s general secretary Laura Davidson said: “Journalists must be able to report on and question political parties – especially those who are in power.
“Political parties must demonstrate their commitment to press freedom, freedom of expression and the public’s right to be informed.”
The former Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell also reacted: “This Trump-like banning of a significant media player is a demonstration that, at the heart of the Labour Party bureaucracy, Starmer’s Labour Together crew are still in charge.”
He added: “Andy Burnham and Labour’s new general secretary will need to launch a radical reorganisation of this bureaucracy before they undermine him as they have past leaders.”
Clive Lewis, the MP for Norwich South, said: “Declassified UK should be admitted to conference, or Labour should publicly explain, with a credible reason, why it has been excluded. Democracy means accepting scrutiny, especially when it is uncomfortable.”
He added: “Labour needs a clean break with the closed and controlling political culture of the past seven years, and a new culture rooted in democracy, openness and respect for a free press.”
Declassified UK reported in September 2025 that its application for a Westminster media pass was declined after officials noted its “in-depth investigations … from a particular standpoint”.
The outlet stated it was blocked over its Gaza “standpoint”. This move was later reversed.
