NEC decides candidate because of general election call
Nottinghamshire left-winger Keir Morrison has been selected by Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) to replace Londoner Sally Gimson as the party’s candidate in the Nottinghamshire seat of Bassetlaw previously occupied by right-winger John Mann.
Mann – once interviewed by police over anti-Gypsy racism in a leaflet he put out – is to take a seat in the Lords after being made a peer by the Tory government.
Londoner Gimson was not endorsed by the NEC after failing her endorsement interview amid reports of complaints about her conduct toward members in her home area of Holborn and St Pancras. Gimson has denied the allegations.
Gimson’s original selection was welcomed by Mann, who considered it a ‘triumph’. Mann has threatened to go to the police over the change of candidate, although it is not clear what his grounds would be. Under Labour’s rules, selected candidates must be endorsed by the NEC before they can stand for election.
Interestingly, none of the right-wingers currently complaining about the NEC’s choice of candidates for this election appear to have complained when the 2017 NEC – then still controlled by the right of the party – decided that there was not enough time to give members a say on their candidates, declaring that all incumbents would be automatically selected, and imposed many centrist candidates, after Theresa May called the ‘snap’ general election.
SKWAWKBOX view:
Congratulations to Mr Morrison. After years of John Mann, Bassetlaw deserves a genuine left MP.
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.