Johanna Baxter
 Johanna Baxter     | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Alma mater | University of Strathclyde | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Johanna Baxter is the Labour Party's CLP Representative on both the National Executive Committee and the Scottish Executive Committee.[1] She is regarded as a Corbynsceptic and has been endorsed by Blairite group Progress and ‘old right’ organisation Labour First.[2]
2016 leadership election
Johanna Baxter, the granddaughter of a Polish miner, revealed that Owen Smith would be getting her vote in the September 2016 leadership election:
“Owen understands places like North Ayrshire. There are not many people who will go out of their way to help a candidate who is fighting a real uphill battle against the SNP with a broken ankle. And he did.
“He visited the constituency and helped us to make a video on our campaign to keep CalMac publicly owned.
“I will vote for Owen in the leadership election because he reaches out beyond those who agree with him. He has come up with policy ideas. He has been an activist.”
Entryism
Johanna Baxter agreed with deputy leader Tom Watson’s assessment that “Trots” driven out of the party decades ago were trying to rejoin. She said she has never spoken publicly before about the business of the NEC:
“With the NEC coming under more scrutiny, it’s important to understand the decisions that have been taken.
"I sit on that vetting panel and I see those applications every day. There are thousands of new members and the vast majority are very well meaning and well intentioned.
“There’s a small minority coming from organisations who have never shared our values. Entryism is still an issue.”[3]
