UK
Labour row in Jeremy Corbyn's seat as local party members rage at 'egregiously undemocratic' process to select veteran MP's replacement in Islington North and say they've been treated with 'contempt'
Local Labour members in Jeremy Corbyn's seat have vented their fury at party bosses over the way their general election candidate was chosen.
They accused Labour HQ of overseeing an 'egregiously undemocratic selection process' after Praful Nargund, who runs a private IVF firm, was picked as the party's hopeful in Islington North.
He faces a bitter battle against Mr Corbyn, who has been Islington North MP since 1983, with many local Labour members still supportive of the veteran left-winger.
Mr Corbyn, the ex-Labour leader, was barred by his successor Sir Keir Starmer from standing as a parliamentary candidate for the party after being suspended in 2020.
He has now been fully expelled from Labour after confirming he will stand as an independent candidate at the 4 July general election.
In a sign of the intense battle to come between Mr Corbyn and Mr Nargund over the coming weeks, Labour are facing a mutiny by local party members.
Local Labour members in Jeremy Corbyn 's seat have vented their
fury at party bosses over the way their general election candidate was chosen
They accused Labour HQ of an 'egregiously undemocratic selection process'
after Praful Nargund, who runs a private IVF firm with his mother Geeta,
was picked as the party's hopeful
Mr Corbyn, the ex-Labour leader, was barred by his successor
Sir Keir Starmer from standing as a parliamentary candidate
for the party after being suspended in 2020
In a strongly-worded statement, officers of Islington North Constituency
Labour Party (CLP) condemned Sir Keir and his team over the
appointment of Mr Nargund
In a strongly-worded statement, officers of Islington North Constituency Labour Party (CLP) condemned Sir Keir and his team over the appointment of Mr Nargund.
They accused Labour bosses of showing 'contempt' for local activists in the north London seat.
'On 24 May Islington North CLP members learned via a London Regional Labour Party post on X that the CLP's parliamentary candidate had been appointed,' the statement said.
'This decision was not communicated directly to CLP members and CLP officers.
'The CLP was not given the opportunity to meet the appointed candidate nor to understand what his policy positions are.
'This is the final stage in an egregiously undemocratic selection process.
'Once again, the national Labour Party has shown contempt for hard working and dedicated members who campaigned relentlessly to re-elect the London Labour mayor Sadiq Khan.
'The Labour Party defines itself as a democratic socialist party. On this basis all members, including those in Islington North, have the right to genuine input into democratic decision making, including the right to select their parliamentary candidate.
'In the case of the Islington North CLP selection process, the actions of the Labour Party have fallen far short of its stated democratic standards.'
Speaking on Friday, Sir Keir said Mr Corbyn's days of influencing Labour are 'over' following the former leader's expulsion from the party.
Asked for his response to suggestions he was 'cherry-picking' candidates, including Mr Nargund, Sir Keir told broadcasters: 'Jeremy Corbyn's days of influencing Labour Party policy are well and truly over. Jeremy Corbyn's decision is his decision.
'What I'm intent on doing is putting first class Labour candidates in Islington North, which we have now done.'
Sir Keir defended his decision to ban Mr Corbyn from standing for Labour as part of his efforts to 'tear antisemitism out of our party by the roots'.
Mr Corbyn has been sitting as an independent MP since 2020 after refusing to fully accept the Equality and Human Rights Commission's findings that the party broke equality law when he was in charge.
He said allegations of antisemitism had been 'dramatically overstated for political reasons'.
Mr Nargund could face an uphill battle in Islington North, as Mr Corbyn gained a majority of 26,188 in the seat at the 2019 election when running as a Labour candidate.
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