LABOUR SELECTION SCANDAL: Nearly eight months late, grassroots members finally got to have a democratic say over who their local officials should be – with intriguing revelations at the constituency’s annual meeting. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES
Mr and Mrs Anonyvoter: Maddie and Mark Henson, who last night claimed he was the Croydon East whistleblower
“Mr Anonyvoter”, Mark Henson, last night claimed that he was the whistleblower that sounded the alarm over serious concerns of data manipulation and possible fraud, and potential attempts at vote-rigging, that led to the suspension of parliamentary selection in Croydon East last November, forcing Labour Party officials to call in the Metropolitan Police.
Henson was addressing fellow Labour Party members at the long-delayed Croydon East CLP annual meeting.
Inside Croydon was the first to report that Labour in Croydon was subject to a criminal investigation by Scotland Yard’s cyber crime unit, which was looking into the party’s dodgy Croydon East selection.
According to Henson, he was the first to take his concerns to senior Labour officials, who in turn called in the police.
Anonyvoter fan: David Evans, Labour’s General Secretary
The selection process was halted last November after complaints that the Constituency Labour Party’s membership lists had been tampered with. At that time, Henson was the CLP’s interim treasurer, having been installed with two other “trusted” Starmerites – Melanie Felten as secretary and Carole Bonner, the former councillor, as interim chair.
Preliminary investigations discovered that 120 out of around 500 members in the CLP had had their personal details – address, phone number or email – changed on the local party’s membership database without their knowledge or consent.
And at least 30 “postal” votes had been cast by email without those members’ knowledge.
Henson made the revelation in a speech as he sought to be elected as the CLP treasurer.
Henson, together with his wife, Croydon councillor Maddie Henson, are owners of Henson IT Solutions Ltd, the company which supplies the Labour Party with Anonyvoter software, apparently for no fee, and which was given the gig without any competitive tendering.
In March, at a meeting of Labour’s all-powerful National Executive Committee, David Evans, the party’s General Secretary, reported that the issues in Croydon East were nothing to do with the Anonyvoter system. It was Evans, who knows the Hensons through his Croydon Labour connections, who chose to introduce the software to be used by CLPs across the country.
It has been suggested that by altering members’ email addresses ahead of a candidate selection meeting, it would be possible to use their votes via Anonyvoter for a favoured candidate.
A report in Tribune magazine last month suggested that, “Anonyvoter may have been abused on an industrial scale to rig internal Labour contests.” This will include the selections of many of the Labour parliamentary candidates who will be standing in the July 4 General Election.
‘An antidemocratic coup’: Streatham councillor Martin Abrams has written critically of the vote-rigging scandal for Tribune magazine
According to Tribune, it would be astonishingly easy to rig selections using Anonyvoter. “Poll administrators could theoretically add votes during the contests or vote on behalf of members without them knowing. They can also see who has and hasn’t voted.
“Meanwhile, the safeguards that should be in place aren’t — while Anonyvoter allows independent ‘tellers’ to verify counts, Labour hasn’t allowed them for its parliamentary selections.”
Sources at last night’s Croydon East annual meeting confirm that Bonner, the former chair and self-described “selections secretary”, was an absentee. Labour has refused to deny local speculation that Bonner has been suspended by the party while the Metropolitan Police continues its investigation into allegations of computer misuse.
In Bonner’s absence, Felten chaired the initial stages of the meeting.
Respected: Jerry Fitzpatrick, the chair of Croydon East CLP
Last night’s meeting was held almost nine months later than Labour officials had promised it would take place. After all the turmoil and controversy that had preceded it, this meeting was described as “bland”.
The office of CLP treasurer was the only post that was contested, with Henson duly elected.
Jerry Fitzpatrick, the retired lawyer who was once deputy leader of the council, was voted in as chairman, with Sangita Gobidas elected as secretary.
“Jerry is a breath of fresh air as chair,” one relieved party member told Inside Croydon.
“Jerry Fitzpatrick is exactly the right person to try to build some trust and integrity into the local Labour Party’s organisation,” said another.
Last month, Croydon East members were finally allowed to select a parliamentary candidate to stand in the upcoming General Election for what appears to be a safe Labour seat. They chose Merton councillor Natasha Irons on the first-round ballot – though party officials refused to reveal any voting numbers.
Read more: #TheLabourFiles: MP Reed, Evans and the Croydon connection
Read more: Labour admits serious breach of private data in Croydon East
Read more: Labour refuses to deny suspensions over Croydon East ‘fix’
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“Last month, Croydon East members were finally allowed to select a parliamentary candidate to stand in the upcoming General Election”, please Ed could you enlighten me. Were the candidates from an open list or were the candidates already selected by the Labour Party hierarchy? If the latter then it smacks of a ‘Henry Ford’ ie you can choose whomever you want but only from whom we choose.
As you well know, Mr Hewlett (because we reported it), members were excluded from the shortlisting process.
Just checking Steve in case the Labour Party had a feverish attack of democracy.
“Labour has refused to deny local speculation that Bonner has been suspended”.
If it’s anything like the suspension of Tony Newman and Simon Hall, it’ll last longer than the last three Prime Ministers, and no more will be said about it
“According to Henson, he was the first to take his concerns to senior Labour officials…”
Chinny rub
Let’s just say that a plausibility check is usually required