Labour disputes any “purge” of the left since Faiza Shaheen, devastated by his deselection, fled.

Due to a string of previous social media comments, Faiza Shaheen was removed from consideration as Labour’s candidate for Chingford and Woodford Green in the general election.

This decision was criticized for being a “purge” of the party’s most radical candidate.

“This isn’t a purge,” shadow minister Darren Jones told the BBC on Thursday, adding that several of the MPs still in the race identify as left-leaning.

However, Shaheen’s deselection—she had been designated as the opponent of Iain Duncan Smith in 2022—came about just hours after Lloyd Russell-Moyle was also ousted on Wednesday by Labour’s national executive committee, following a dispute over Diane Abbott’s future. 

“Whose brilliant idea has it been to have a cull of left wingers?” Abbott asked on Twitter.

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With only a few weeks until the general election, it implies that new candidates will be chosen by Labour’s national executive committee to local parties instead than through the local party or regional office.

Along with choosing Josh Simons and Luke Akehurst, two close associates of Keir Starmer, to run for retirement seats, Labour also nominated Westminster writer Paul Waugh, Camden council leader Georgia Gould, and a former Rachel Reeves aide as candidates for the general election.

Shaheen claimed in an interview with Newsnight that she had just received an email informing her that her candidacy had been stopped and was “in a bit of a state of shock” at “being treated this badly.”

Six weeks after her kid was born, Shaheen knocked on doors. 

I worked so hard for that seat.

Although Shaheen stated she had apologized before a disciplinary hearing this week for liking a tweet that “plays into a trope” about Jews, the party has not clarified which posts the decision was related to. 

She mentioned that in a another piece, she talked about her encounters with Islamophobia.

Following a dispute and misunderstanding regarding Diane Abbott’s eligibility to run for reelection as a Labour candidate, the Labour Muslim Network denounced the decision as “unacceptable” and stated: “To use her tweets accounting personal experience of Islamophobia as evidence for deselection is utterly outrageous.” 

Abbott promised to serve as an MP for as long as possible, to supporters during a rally held yesterday night at Hackney Town Hall. 

Clare Short, a former cabinet minister, said yesterday night that Abbott had received “unforgivably” harsh treatment.

Approximately 2,500 readers participated in a LabourList survey, and 75% of them said she should be allowed to restand, 11% said her local party should make the decision, 2% said the party or whips should make the decision, and just 11% said she should be banned.

It also happened shortly after Brighton Kemptown MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle was barred from the party until the conclusion of an inquiry into a complaint that was filed the previous week.

“Lloyd successfully managed to keep the Green threat at bay for multiple elections,” a local Labour source told LabourList. 

There will be a huge electoral response if they detach one of their right-wing councillor pals from London, as they have done in other locations along the south coast.

Momentum’s spokesperson referred to the most recent deselections as a “purge.”

According to the spokesperson, “Team Starmer is targeting left-wing women of color, like Diane Abbott and Faiza Shaheen, for deselection, against the wishes of their local parties.”

A “ruthless re-alignment of Labour is taking place under Starmer that is more far-reaching than anything attempted by Tony Blair,” according to Daily Mirror associate editor Jason Beattie. 

• He continued, “While Blair accommodated the left, Starmer is purging them in his quest to establish a party permanently camped on the center ground.”
• A Chingford and Wood Green party source called the investigation “devious,” pointing out that Shaheen had successfully raised money and “campaigned assiduously” despite the difficulties of juggling it with being a new mother. 
• She was allegedly “totally out of the blue” confronted with the allegations at the last minute before the election.
• They implied that IDS, up against a CLP that was “totally geared up to getting Faiza elected,” would be “laughing all the way to the polling station.” 
• Labour could not be reached for comment at this time. “This is definitely not how the party should be run.”

To avoid any distractions next week, we would much prefer get this news out of the way now, an unidentified Labour source told Politico. 

This week should be dedicated to the contentious mandates that have occurred under every leader.

“We have selected a fantastic group of candidates in place for the General Election on Thursday, July 4th,” a Labour Party official stated. 

They will be canvassing voters all throughout the nation to spread the word about Labour’s program of change.

According to a party insider, the Prime Minister’s announcement of an unexpected summer election meant that emergency procedures had to be followed in order to ensure that every voter had the opportunity to support Labour.

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