DEMO THREAT OVER LADYWOOD SELECTION

01-07-2008

Labour activists campaigning for a re-run of the party’s hotly contested Ladywood parliamentary selection are threatening to march on Birmingham Council House unless there’s an enquiry into the poll.

Jacqueline Brown, Labour vice-chair in the Nechells ward says she and her supporters would organise the demo if letters to the Prime Minister and a grass-roots petition are ignored.

Brown broke cover to speak to The Stirrer a fortnight ago, revealing that she had written to Number 10 in the aftermath of the controversial ballot, which saw Shabana Mahmood narrowly selected ahead of Yvonne Mosquito. (see link here)

There’s been no response from Downing Street so far, so she’s writing again, “just to make sure he’s received it”.

There’s already a petition doing the rounds of the city’s African-Caribbean community centres and black churches, alleging the selection was unfair.

It accuses Birmingham’s Labour Group leader Sir Albert Bore of an act of “deliberate sabotage” by “deliberately undermining” Mosquito’s position on West Midlands Police Authority before the Ladywood vote.

"We'll see what response that gets, but we are prepared to march on the Council House as a last resort" Smith said.

"Lots of people are very upset.  It goes to show how much discrimination there is against us.  There are a lot of hurt feelings."

West Midlands Labour Party which oversaw the Ladywood election has always argued that it was a fair selection process; while Sir Albert points out that Mosquito lost her Police Authority job following a vote among councillors from her own party.

To see the petition, click here (pdf file)

READ OUR IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW WITH SHABANA MAHMOOD ON THE STIRRER TOMORROW