Labour has opened the candidate 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 will close on Monday (May 20), with a ballot opening by the end of the week. A Labour candidate is expected to be in place by June 1.
Two candidates have already announced their intention to stand; writer and transport campaigner Christian Wolmar and journalist Paul Mason. 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’.”
Happened to be sat behind @paulmasonnews while covering an event for @LabourList, just as he announced he’ll stand for Labour nomination in Islington North tonight.
I asked why he’s going for it: pic.twitter.com/eZL2ss63n2
— Tom Belger (@tom_belger) May 15, 2024
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.”
The selection process has already sparked controversy in some corners of the party, amid reports that the shortlisting of candidates will be carried out by the national executive committee, rather than by the local party, and that 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”.
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. https://t.co/wpm08F8FAN
— John McDonnell MP (@johnmcdonnellMP) May 15, 2024
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.”
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