I am incredibly excited to have been selected as the @LibDems candidate #Lewisham East by-election. I can't wait to get on the campaign trail in my home town!#LibDemFightback https://t.co/bryuK3xxz2
— Lucy V. Salek #FBPE (@lucyvsalek) May 12, 2018
Lucy Salek is getting on with her campaign for Lewisham East after being selected by local Lib Dem members last night, just 3 days after the by-election was called.
Labour’s defence of the seat has not got off to the most harmonious start as there has been a row over the NEC’s decision to control their selection. They will not announce their candidate for another week. Politics Home has more:
But the notion that the process will be based on the quality of the applications themselves is for the birds. In all likelihood, the Labour leadership has already chosen the candidate it wants and the two or three others it could live with.
A key element of the decision will be who is most likely to play ball in the Commons voting lobbies and tow the leadership line. Alexander was a thorn in the side of Jeremy Corbyn – the first MP to quit her job in the exodus after the EU referendum and a dogged campaigner for a soft-Brexit. The risk of handing the job to someone even half as unhelpful is too great not to control the process with something of a Blairite grip.
And the local members are not what you would call a united bunch.
The level of control being exerted by the NEC flies in the face of claims that Labour is now a member-led body under Corbyn. The by-election selection is the first since Momentum founder Jon Lansman – a major proponent of membership control – was voted onto the party’s ruling body. But the process so far would make a Blairite blush. Momentum itself is yet to decide whether to back a candidate for the selection at all – which is just as well, since it remains unclear who to direct to spread the message on the ground. The Lewisham branch of the campaign group has split into two factions, both claiming to be the official entity, one led by old-school Alliance for Workers’ Liberty members and another by young pro-Corbyn types.
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5 Comments
” Alexander was a thorn in the side of Jeremy Corbyn”.
He can disprove that by nominating her for a peerage. He has previously nominated one person for a peerage, but sadly the widespread support she achieved at Liberty reduces when she accepted the whip of a political party, particularly one as divided as Labour under Corbyn.
At the Bermondsey bye-election there was Real Labour after Bob Mellish resigned and Official Labour.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bermondsey_by-election,_1983
When the Labour candidate emerges, she will have to identify as pro- or anti-Brexit. A fudged position would not be much better than being pro-Brexit.
An assessment of the impact of Brexit on the constituency would be a good idea. Lucy Salek needs people to work on it now and to produce it in not much more than a week.
@Martin
While not fully what you want – there are statistics on the sectors people work in at https://public.tableau.com/profile/house.of.commons.library.statistics#!/vizhome/KS605Industry_0/Dataconstituency and via https://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/offices/commons/commonslibrary/statistics-for-uk-constituencies/
As you would expect for a constituency in London – there is above average number working in finance and insurance sector – almost double the national average but (just) below the regional average.
Working in education is also above average.
So I would suspect that the particular effect that Brexit will have on finance – banks are already looking to move their European HQs from London and also may be fewer university students coming to Britain to study.
BTW Conservatives have already conceded defeat – Bob Stewart, Conservative MP for neighbouring Beckenham so he should know told Sunday Politics London today that there was “absolutely no chance” that the Conservatives would win.
So with the Greens 100-1 outsiders and the Conservatives themselves saying they can’t win – it is a two horse race between us and Labour – albeit one where we start some distance behind Labour.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0b0w8l8/sunday-politics-london-13052018
I’m waiting…..