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Islington North selection in Jeremy Corbyn’s seat: Who is standing, and will Corbyn run as an independent?
The deadline has now passed for aspiring candidates to apply in the selection process in former party leader Jeremy Corbyn’s constituency of Islington North.
Corbyn, who had served as the Labour MP for the seat since 1983, was suspended from the party in 2020 over this response to a report into antisemitism in the Labour Party.
He was later blocked from standing as a Labour candidate at the next general election last year after a motion by the national executive committee.
Applications for candidates to replace him opened last week, and a ballot will open later this week. A Labour candidate is expected to be in place by June 1.
Two candidates swiftly announced their intention to stand; writer and transport campaigner Christian Wolmar and journalist Paul Mason.
Meanwhile LabourList understands Sem Moema, a Hackney councillor and London Assembly Member for Hackney, Islington and Waltham Forest, has also thrown her hat in the ring.
Economist Shreya Nanda, who works for the Social Market Foundation think tank, has also applied. So has Harry Spencer, with a campaign website to boot.
There’s been speculation about whether councillor Praful Nargund will run too; he wasn’t immediately available for comment.
Speaking to LabourList after his bid to become the Labour candidate in Islington North, Mason said: “What’s made me want to stand is it’s crunch time in British politics. The Labour government that is about to take power will have one chance to convince millions of people who are sick of politics, who are sick of being financially insecure and powerless, that we can make a difference.
“I think, with my experience as a journalist and a campaigner over many decades, I can go into Parliament and represent the people of Islington North in that parliamentary Labour Party in a way that says ‘let’s deliver for you’.”
Meanwhile writing for LabourList in February, Wolmar said he can offer expertise in transport matters as a Labour government works to recreate a renationalised railway.
He said: “I have the strength and experience to stand up to the expected hostility from some of Corbyn’s supporters. It will be a fierce contest, but one in which I am qualified to participate.”
Nanda told the Islington Tribune she would prioritise campaigning for housing and economic justice, making the case for greater investment in public services.
“I’ve seen the impact of austerity and I’ve struggled as a young person seeing that nothing works in this country,” she told the paper.
“I grew up here. I use local public services and I’ve seen the impact of tight government finances. [Being local] makes me able to speak to that.” Nanda has the backing the Labour Housing Group.
Spencer’s website promises “no politics, just solutions”, and says he has experience running multiple businesses.
He is endorsed by Labour Business chair Hamish Sandison, and says his priorities include protecting the most vulnerable, major police investment and “ruthlessly” focusing on improving public services and improving education.
The selection process has already sparked controversy in some corners of the party, as the national executive committee, rather than by the local party, will conduct shortlisting and the hustings will take place online only.
John McDonnell, who served as Shadow Chancellor under Corbyn, has called on Labour to respect the wishes of party members in Islington North and be allowed to “select the candidate of their voice – and that includes Jeremy Corbyn”.
Kate Dove, chairwoman of left-wing organisation Momentum, also said members should be free to select Corbyn as their Labour candidate if they wish. “Labour members in Islington North should decide if they want Jeremy to continue as their Labour candidate, not Keir Starmer’s Westminster clique. Democracy demands it.”
Will Jeremy Corbyn run as an independent candidate?
Corbyn has still not made his intentions explicitly clear.
But he said last year after members locally passed a motion backing him: “I have spent the past 40 years campaigning alongside my community for a mass redistribution of wealth, ownership and power. That is what I’ll continue to do.”
He then told The Observer: “Forty years ago, I made a promise to my constituents that I would always stand up for democracy and justice on their behalf. In Islington North, we keep our promises.”
Growing fury locally & across movement at Starmer’s Islington stitch-up
By Matt Willgress, Labour Outlook Editor
Above the heads of – and against the democratically expressed wish of – Islington North CLP, Keir Starmer and co. have announced a timetable to put in place a new Labour candidate for MP in the constituency, which will end on June 1.
In response, the Islingon North Constituency Labour Party Officers have issued a statement saying, “We support [Keir] Starmer’s statement that “Local Party members should select their candidates for every election. We ask that local democracy be respected & that we be able to choose our prospective parliamentary candidate from amongst any Labour Party member in good standing.”
Their call for democracy and fight against yet another stitch-up has received widespread support across the movement, including from former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell who said Jeremy Corbyn should be allowed to be a candidate, “The wishes of the Labour Party members of Islington North should be respected & they should be allowed to select the candidate of their voice & that includes Jeremy Corbyn, who has given his life to representing his community.”
In an interview, on the Today Podcast Zarah Sultana MP replied to the question “Do you think Keir is wrong about Jeremy Corbyn?” by saying, “Yes, I do,” and adding that “Jeremy and Diane {Abbott] …have devoted their life to the labour movement, have represented the Labour Party for decades, worked day-in, day-out to improve the lives of ordinary working class people. When they are not allowed back into the Labour Party but others like Natalie Elphicke are, that message is incredibly concerning.”
Outside of Parliament, the Labour Assembly Against Austerity (who initiated the 70k+ strong petition calling for Jeremy Corbyn to have the whip restored,) expressed clearly that the members should be allowed to decide.
Meanwhile, Momentum Chair Kate Dove said: “Jeremy Corbyn has loyally represented the people of Islington North for over 40 years and remains a Labour member of more than 50 years. His own local party voted unanimously to express support for Jeremy and assert their right to choose their own Parliamentary candidate. Labour members in Islington North should decide if they want Jeremy to continue as their Labour candidate, not Keir Starmer’s Westminster clique. Democracy demands it.”
Further MPs to add their voices growing swell of discontent included Mick Whitley MP who said, “Members in Islington North have a right to choose who should represent them, and that should include Jeremy,” also saying that “The Labour Party is a broad enough church to accept Tory ERG members but not our former leader?”
He added, “Enough with these factional stitch ups. Let members decide.”
Beth Winter MP also spoke out.
Giving a voice from Islington North, speaking to ‘Labour Outlook’ a local Labour Party member and trade union delegate said, “Many Islington North members are confused and angry about the recent announcement that the national Labour Party had taken over the selection of a Labour Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for their constituency.
This comes after the CLP, as a whole, came together to run a very effective Mayoral campaign for Sadiq Khan, despite being denied its own access to Organise. The only access was through Labour Party employees. During the campaign a significant amount of long standing and active members, who did not necessarily agree with their MP on all issues, were very concerned about the democratic deficit in the manner in which the CLP was being treated. The recent announcement will have exacerbated this feeling.
Without access to Organise, it is very difficult to explain what is now happening but, where local members can be contacted through friendship or community networks, it is being explained that:
Islington North CLP members have been informed that the National Executive Committee (NEC) has opened its own form of parliamentary candidate selection procedure for Islington North. There was no prior consultation with Islington North’s democratically elected CLP officers or delegates. Trade union and ward and affiliated organisation delegates to the General Committee will not be able to seek the views of those who elected them to represent them, as there is no recognition of the need to respect the democratic processes and timetables of trade unions or affiliated organisations. The National Party has suspended the use of Organise, its own Labour Party communications system, within Islington and therefore members are prevented from meeting together to discuss nominations or candidates in wards.
The national party has delayed triggering any selection in Islington North, despite the fact that the significant size of the Labour majority indicated that this should have been undertaken many months ago.
The selection process has been truncated to a mere couple of weeks and will take place on line with a short listed selected by the NEC and not the members of Islington North. This alone contradicts a previous statement by Kier Starmer that “Local Party members should select their candidates for every election.
The proposed process does not respect for local democracy upon which the Labour Party was founded and that it says will be central to its messaging for the forthcoming General Election. The CLP was not asked whether it would depart from the established procedure under which it could choose its own prospective parliamentary candidate from amongst any Labour Party member in good standing, shortlisted by the members of Islington North. An undemocratic selection process is likely harm the Labour Party’s efforts to defeat the conservatives and to achieve the real change this country and our communities in Islington North desperately need.”
Islington North – let local members decide!
Figures from across the labour movement responded to the London Regional Labour Party’s announcement of a timetable for candidate selection in Islington North (less than a month long and with the regional office, rather than the constituency party, deciding the shortlist of candidates) by demanding the democratic rights of local members are respected and highlighting the hypocritical nature of the current approach from the national leadership.
A statement from Officers of Islington North CLP highlighted Keir Starmer’s previous comments that “Local party members should select their candidates for every election” whilst running to be Leader, and called for all party members to be eligible for selection (which would include incumbent MP and Labour member Jeremy Corbyn):
Numerous other MPs echoed the call for a democratic choice by local members, including MP for Hayes & Harlington and former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell:
Cynon Valley’s Beth Winter also emphasised the call for a transparent and fair selection process.
And MP for Birkenhead Mick Whitley highlighted the absurdity of a situation whereby MPs from the right of the Conservative Party are welcomed into the PLP whilst a former Labour leader is excluded:
This was also pointed out by Coventry South MP Zarah Sultana in an interview with The Today Podcast: “Jeremy and Diane (Abbott), both of them have devoted their life to the labour movement, have represented the Labour Party for decades, worked day-in, day-out to improve the lives of ordinary working class people. When they are not allowed back into the Labour Party but others like Natalie Elphicke are, that message is incredibly concerning.”
Chair of Momentum Kate Dove joined those calling for Islington North Labour Party members to have the final say, rather than a “Westminster clique”
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