Breaking: Sharma triggered

Ealing Southall MP loses first three branch votes, meeting trigger threshold

Ealing Southall Labour MP Virendra Sharma has been ‘triggered’ by members, forcing the MP to face a full selection contest after a third branch – Sharma’s home branch of Norwood Green – voted in favour of a selection.

The first three branches balloted all voted to trigger, meeting the threshold of three from seven branches against a requirement for at least one in three of the constituency’s branches.

Sharma had originally tried to overturn the votes of the first two branches by complaints to London region, but Labour’s National Executive Committee overturned an initial regional decision to restart the process.

Sharma also suffered a heavy defeat in a no-confidence vote by local members earlier this year.

As of the time of writing, the remaining branches are still scheduled to meet this week in spite of the threshold being crossed. Sharma has conceded the trigger loss in a tweet, but says he will stand in the selection contest. Incumbent MPs are automatically shortlisted under Labour’s rules.

The SKWAWKBOX needs your support. This blog is provided free of charge but depends on the generosity of its readers to be viable. If you can afford to, please click here to arrange a one-off or modest monthly donation via PayPal or here for a monthly donation via GoCardless. Thanks for your solidarity so this blog can keep bringing you information the Establishment would prefer you not to know about.

If you wish to reblog this post for non-commercial use, you are welcome to do so – see here for more.