Local members in Copeland have been denied a vote and a voice by the National Executive Committee. The national party has blocked our long-serving Copeland Constituency Labour Party secretary, Cllr Joe Ghayouba, from the long-list of candidates. He fits firmly into the “BAME” group as defined by the Labour Party, for whom rules state there must be at least one representative on any Prospective Parliamentary Candidate long-list. It is beyond comprehension that Labour’s national executive gave credence to such “evidence” in an internal Labour Party selection. In Solidarity, Cllr Jean Murray, Executive Committee Chair, Selection Panel member,Cllr Linda Jones-Bulman, Executive Committee Vice Chair, Selection Panel member and Former Copeland Mayoral Candidate,Cllr Nicholas Graham, Membership Secretary, Executive Committee and Selection Panel memberMargaret Lamb, Executive Committee Treasurer, Selection Panel member,Cllr Mike Hawkins, Executive Committee Member and Selection Panel Procedures Secretary,Flo Hanlon, Woman’s Officer, Executive Committee member,Karl Connor, Executive Committee and Selection Panel member,Cllr Graham Minshaw, Executive Committee and Selection Panel member,Cllr Tony Lywood, Executive Committee member and 2019 Copeland Parliamentary Candidate, Cllr Robert White, Communications Officer, Executive Committee and Selection Panel member, Stan Sanczuk, Executive Committee member.

Source: The Guardian May 23, 2023 11:05 UTC