Apparently promising a ‘fresh start’ for Liverpool is ‘impugning’ other candidates – but only if you’re Anna Rothery, as replacement candidate is using exact same language
Anna Rothery’s bid for a court injunction to prevent Labour depriving Liverpool members of a genuine choice of candidate in the city’s mayoral selection has failed today. But Labour’s excuse for barring her from the contest means that the party is claiming it de-listed her – for being too outspoken against the alleged corruption that has plagued the city council.
Gavin Millar QC, speaking for the party, claimed that ‘concerns’ had been raised because Rothery supposedly ‘impugned the integrity of the other candidates’ during an online hustings event attended by a large number of Liverpool Labour members.
But the claim is false, as leading Labour activist Alan Gibbons, who attended the hustings, made clear in a tweeted statement this evening:
According to Labour sources, the party decided to re-interview the candidates because concerns had been raised about the links of a rival candidate to a company with problematic cash transactions, loans and accounting failures – and SKWAWKBOX understands that no such claim of ‘impugning’ was raised with Rothery during her re-interview.
And even if she had spoken out strongly about corruption in a city whose last mayor resigned after being arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit bribery and intimidation, that would only qualify Rothery even more to give Liverpool a fresh start.
Labour has again disgraced itself and continues to both insult and damage the city most associated with it – at least until now. So intense is the anger in the city about Labour’s conduct, with even some Labour councillors talking about voting for an independent candidate, that the party might just be about to experience a ‘Scouse Scotland’ moment.
Ironically, one of the two candidates put forward by the party to replace the legitimate shortlist has co-opted Rothery’s exact ‘fresh start’ language. Labour appears to have no issue with this.
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