The Labour Party’s parliamentary candidate selection process as conducted in Croydon East has been “appalling” and “a disgrace”.
That’s according to veteran political journalist Michael Crick, the person behind the @TomorrowsMPs Twitter account that has been keeping a close track on the “secret primaries” that have been taking place around the country, as the political parties get ready for the forthcoming General Election.
In more than two-thirds of Britain’s 650 parliamentary seats, there is virtually no real public contest at elections. The parties pay lip-service to democracy. The electorate in those seats get as their MP the person who a handful of members from the locally dominant political party have decided should represent them.
In such safe seats, anyone selected under this system of what Crick calls “secret primaries” can expect to have a cushty job for life as the MP. Look at Steve Reed, in the Labour stronghold of Croydon North (as was), for example.
And Croydon East, a new parliamentary constituency formed for the next election, looks to be a similarly safe Labour seat.
It is now almost three months since Crick, and Inside Croydon, reported on how the Labour Party was forced to suspend the selection in Croydon East, when three out of the four shortlisted candidates for selection cried foul, after having found serious errors in the local membership list and other worrying issues with the process.
Labour Party members in Croydon East have been kept in the dark over what happens next. There’s been no meetings. Even their CLP’s Facebook page has had its comments switched off, to prevent any unseemly complaints. Party officials ignore written enquiries about what’s going on.
But Crick has his thoughts on what might happen next, which he shares with subscribers of Inside Croydon after joining us Under The Flyover this week.
Crick – the former BBC Newsnight and Channel 4 News politics correspondent – delves into the deep, dark background of the political parties’ selection processes, which he has found to be often “partisan” and “fiddled”.
To hear the whole of our Michael Crick interview, you’ll need to visit the Inside Croydon Spotify page or sign up as a subscriber, as per the details below.
Read more: Labour cancels Croydon selection after voting fraud claims
Read more: #TheLabourFiles: MP Reed, Evans and the Croydon connection
Read more: Croydon Labour’s ‘hidden primary’ will choose a new MP
Under The Flyover is premium content exclusively for subscribers to Inside Croydon.
- If you have a news story about life in or around Croydon, or want to publicise your residents’ association or business, or if you have a local event to promote, please email us with full details at inside.croydon@btinternet.com
As featured on Google News Showcase
- Our comments section on every report provides all readers with an immediate “right of reply” on all our content. Our comments policy can be read by clicking here
Inside Croydon is a member of the Independent Community News Network
- Inside Croydon works together with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, as well as BBC London News and ITV London
ROTTEN BOROUGH AWARDS: In January 2024, Croydon was named among the country’s rottenest boroughs for a SEVENTH successive year in the annual round-up of civic cock-ups in Private Eye magazine
