More than 200 Brighton Labour activists have signed a petition urging the party to give them a greater say in their candidate selection following the replacement of Lloyd Russell-Moyle, according to campaigners.
The petition among Kemptown and Peacehaven Labour members indicates their support for the until-recently local MP Russell-Moyle, who was removed as a candidate last week after being suspended from the party over a complaint about his behaviour.
Russell-Moyle, who has represented the constituency since 2017, described the complaint as “vexatious and politically motivated”.
Chris Ward, a former senior official in Keir Starmer’s team, was subsequently selected by the national executive committee as Labour’s general election candidate for the constituency.
But the members’ petition reads: “If we are to give our blood, sweat and tears to return the next Labour MP to parliament then we should be at the heart of the process of their selection, ensuring that the democratic values we want to see enacted in a Labour government are practiced by the Labour Party at all times.
“If the party wishes to demonstrate unequivocally that this is not a factional purge, then they should give the members a choice of candidates and allow us to decide who is best fit to represent the constituency of Kemptown and Peacehaven.
“We know our community best and the people who have dedicated their lives to standing up against the suffering caused by these miserable years of vicious Tory rule.”
It comes amid several controversies around selections for Labour candidates, including the deselection of Faiza Shaheen in Chingford and Woodford Green.
Labour and Chris Ward were not immediately available for comment.
But a Labour spokesperson recently told LabourList in defence of their selections more widely: “We have selected a fantastic group of candidates in place for the General Election on Thursday 4 July. They will be campaigning across the country to bring Labour’s message of change to voters.”
A party source added that the Prime Minister calling a surprise summer election meant selections needed to take place through emergency procedures.
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