| Demand for an inquiry into Labour deselections |
| 13-07-2009-- | ||
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LABOUR must launch an inquiry into why so many black and Asian sitting councillors are being ‘deselected’ from standing in next year’s local elections. Operation Black Vote expressed grave concern as several councillors in several London boroughs were ditched as Labour candidates. Simon Woolley, head of OBV, said he was extremely concerned at reports that no less than five sitting councillors in Waltham Forest had been deselected, including the current Mayor Anna Mbachu. In Enfield, Labour have deselected Edmonton councillor Denise Headley and rejected applications from nine young black hopefuls who were interested in standing. And in Lewisham, the party has spurned David Michaels, a long-standing local Labour activist and a founder member of the Black Police Association. OBV also has concerns about the selection process in Redbridge, Newham, Southwark and Haringey, where local members have become increasingly frustrated about possible de-selections. Woolley is writing to Labour general-secretary Ray Collins and Ahmad Shazad, chair of BAME Labour, to seek an explanation and a thorough investigation. He said: ‘It appears that some local Labour Party’s, far from embracing diversity and representation, appear to be wilfully acting against it. ‘We are seeing a number of talented individuals with so much to offer the party and public at large either being thrown out by their local parties or being blocked from standing in the first place. ‘Some apparatchiks seem to have forgotten the experience of Lambeth in 2006 when they alone bucked the national trend by having a good number of black and Asian candidates who were known in their community. ‘What is happening now will send an extremely negative message to the public and squander the enthusiasm for public service that the election of Barack Obama in the US generated. We call on Labour to get to the bottom of what is happening.’ The Waltham Forest Guardian has reported that sitting councillors Anna Mbachu, Shameem Highfield, Tarsem Bhogal, Elisabeth Davies and Milton Martin have all been deselected. Woolley has spoken with Shazad who has pledged to take the matter up with Labour’s high command. Shazad said: ‘Once I get the information I can assess all those concerns and I’ll do my level best to help BME members. ‘I’ll be taking it to the party and having discussions to sort it out according to the wishes of the BAME Labour committee.’ Lambeth Labour councillor Kingsley Abrams, who was formerly vice-chair of the Black Socialist Society – the predecessor to BAME Labour – added: ‘I'm extremely concerned to hear about a significant number of deselections of sitting black and Asian councillors. ‘This could send all the wrong signals to the community, so this is something that the most senior figures in Labour need to sort out.’ OBV wants deselections of sitting councillors to be monitored by ethnicity, and for the selection procedures to be suspended in Waltham Forest and Enfield, and any other borough were there are concerns about unfair treatment of sitting black and Asian councillors and aspiring would-be candidates. |
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