The Staggers

The New Statesman’s rolling politics blog

The lesson of Labour's Rotherham selection disaster

The walkout by half of local members shows why party-imposed shortlists must be abandoned.

By George Eaton Published 14 November 2012 11:50

Ed Miliband walks through Hyde Park. Photograph: Getty Images.

Ed Miliband walks through Hyde Park after addressing TUC members at an anti-austerity rally last month. Photograph: Getty Images.

The Tories aren't the only party suffering byelection woes this morning. At the Labour selection meeting in Rotherham last night, half of the members present walked out in protest at the party's failure to include a local figure on the shortlist. This left fewer than 50 to vote on the selection of Sarah Champion, who defeated the only other person on the list, former RAF Wing Commander Sophy Gardner.

The walkout was staged by supporters of Mahroof Hussain, a prominent local councillor who was the preferred choice of the membership. As is standard for by-elections, the shortlist was drawn up by Labour's National Executive Committee, rather than a local selection committee, which chose not to include Hussain. Last night's debacle shows why this approach must be abandoned. The party cannot talk credibly about localism if it is not prepared to trust its own members to select the Labour candidate.

There is inevitably speculation that Hussain will stand as an independent, although earlier this week he tweeted, "Friends, I have not been shortlisted for Rotherham. We need to unite behind the next Labour Party candidate and keep Rotherham labour (sic)".

Others fear that a potential split in the Labour vote could allow Respect candidate Yvonne Ridley, a former journalist who famously converted to Islam after her capture by the Taliban, to repeat her party's triumph in Bradford West earlier this year. However, it is doubtful whether she will attract the support necessary to overturn a Labour majority of 10,462 (27.9 per cent).

Although the byelection (which will be held on 29 November) was triggered by Denis MacShane's resignation over false invoices, I would be surprised if Labour is punished as a result. The lesson of the 2010 general election was that, so long as expense abusers stand down, their parties rarely suffer.

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14 comments

Wed, 2012-11-28 14:32 — RedMan (not verified)

130 members

Sarah Champion won by 13 votes to 11.

24 voted 106 walked out due to no local candidate being on the shortlist, this after 18 years of Glaswegian Denis MacShame.

Democracy in Action.

Thu, 2012-11-15 14:14 — Sanelefty (not verified)

So what do you make of this George?

The Islamist operation in Rotherham is a very clever bit of Ramadhan Foundation double-entryism. Get Islamists to join the Rotherham CLP and pack the selection meeting. Pre-tweet national campaign presenting the Islamist councillor as a very popular local choice. If he gets picked, great. If not, get campaigning for the Ramadhan Foundation Islamist candidate Yvonne Ridley. Links shown on my post. Must say, I’ve never seen this sort of double-entryism before. Extraordinary. Oh, and they tried to get Mahroof Hussain picked as Labour’s candidate at Middlesborough too.

They then run another line on how Labour won’t accept very popular Muslim candidates. And press for support for Respect.

Needs to be widely publicised. Helen Pidd needs to do a bit more homework.

Wed, 2012-11-28 22:54 — William Ewart (not verified)

I was at the meeting. As indicated the "walk out" was by 4/5ths of those present; about 100 people walked. No more than twenty of those were Asian. There is a problem getting over a balanced view of Rotherham, one that doesn't revolve around hate or racism. Bigots come in all shades.

Wed, 2012-11-21 17:45 — Jaree (not verified)

It's really sad to see how racist your commits are towards
Asians you must be a real asit to labour party looks like Asians
Are no longer required for labour . It's ppl like you that is winning
Harts and mind for labour . Well done

Thu, 2012-11-15 01:46 — Davidaslindsay (not verified)

Half of the General Committee of Rotherham Constituency Labour Party walked out last night, after the National Executive Committee had failed to shortlist any local candidate, including the hugely popular Councillor Mahroof Hussain MBE, Nick Clegg's opponent at Sheffield Hallam in 2010.

As a Muslim of South Asian extraction, the NEC considers Councillor Hussain suspect following a recent grooming scandal. Which NEC members, exactly, are responsible for this? Blairism lives, it seems. Although not, one trusts, after the next round of NEC elections.

There is talk of an Independent candidacy there, if only to keep the seat in the hands of a mainstream Labour figure rather than either a member of Respect or, even worse, an imposed apparatchik sharing the views of Denis MacShane, except perhaps on the sex industry and on indecency in the media.

Speaking of by-elections, whether or not that Independent (or other party) candidate ever entered the race, setting up the website of such a putative rival, acting as his agent, or what have you, would secure expulsion from any serious political party. The Conservative Party, manifestly, is no longer serious.

Furthermore, and no less manifestly, it now harbours a separate party, extending all the way up to the office, not to say the person, of George Osborne. That separate party, like any other, has its own membership, its own policy programme, its own underlying philosophy, and, no doubt, its own structures, its own discipline and its own funding.

Against a Conservative candidate other than one of its own, it might organise an Independent, or it might, as it now does at Corby, actively support UKIP. None of this is deemed incompatible with Conservative Party membership at the very highest levels. The formal coup might have been expected after the next General Election. But if the Corby result is quite as bad as is now expected, then might that coup happen even within the present calendar year? If not, why not?

Both of these stories have important implications for today's elections of Police and Crime Commissioners. As an Independent, let me assure you that there is not, nor ought there to be, nor ever could there be, anything "non-political" about being an Independent. If a position is political, then it is political. Being a Parish Councillor is political. Being a Member of Parliament is political. Being a Police and Crime Commissioner is political. It just is.

Wed, 2012-11-14 23:13 — Bill Cooke (not verified)

Labour could balance the need for extra care with byelection candidates who will receive extra-ordinary scrutiny by otherwise setting aside a significant proportion of shortlists as "local-only" shortlists. This might also ensure that a route-to-Westminster from one's own locale was seen as possible by wannabe MPs of whatever age; and increase the extent to which Labour's talent pool is rooted in communities, as Lucy Powell is in Manchester.

Thu, 2012-11-15 03:51 — Posh Tosh (not verified)

I have never seen a local labour candidate in Manchester that represents Labour.

Never seen them represent their own to have houses or jobs, talk about it and walk about it - then hand both to imports.

Wed, 2012-11-14 22:13 — Sly Moore (not verified)

I shouldn't be too surprised if RESPECT do well in this election. The situation doesn't really compare to the Lab-SDP debacle from the 1980s mentioned previously.

The problem the national party has is that Mahroof has a strong core of support, people who were feet on the ground, campaign workers, opinion formers. In less that 72 hours they have alienated the very core of people they need to win a by-election mid-term in a constituency that has been beset by problems from accusations of a grooming scandal cover-up to a strong EDL presence in the town and a former MP who fiddled his expenses.

Another thing I found interesting was the comment from the national party that the shortlisting decision represented a desire to have a "clean break" from the past. How is that possible when all of the party workers, constituency delegates and representatives et al will all remain in place? And what possibly led the national party to think that those people were in some way complicit with the crimes of Mr MacShane? It really is quite insulting to suggest such a thing.

Insert the usual comments about localism in practice as well as in theory and soundbites - it'll make no difference. The national party has always imposed it's will - and always will.

Wed, 2012-11-14 19:19 — Indu Pendent

I dont understand why the NEC and local party disagreed. Was the preferred candidate a socialist ?

Wed, 2012-11-14 16:05 — Lucidus (not verified)

You have to remember why Labour did this. For example, the Greenwich party selected Deirdre Wood to stand in a by-election after the death of Guy Barnett.

This gifted what was a safe Labour seat to the SDP, who held the seat for many years.

I know nothing of the Rotherham people, but the idea of having the Labour NEC select the shortlist in a by-election is a sound one.

Wed, 2012-11-14 12:55 — Vakas Hussain (not verified)

As someone who was present last night and as some who also knows Mahroof Hussain MBE personally, I have to admit that I have been inspired by the way he has dealt with this debacle. I can reassure everyone that Mahroof had nothing whatsoever to do with the walk out last night. It was a sign of anger at the way the Labour NEC drew up the short list with no local candidate. What most members could not fathom was the Mahroof was shortlisted for the Middlesbrough by election but not for the by election in his home constituency. As a CLP member in Rotherham I cannot for the life of me understand why we had no local choice. If not Mahroof, then there are a number of excellent local Councillors who have all the qualities of being a great MP. However its just so happened that Mahroof was the most popular person for the role and members wanted him as their candidate.

Ive seen a few rumors on twitter that Labour did not want an Asian candidate because of the recent grooming scandal; if true that is disgusting and nothing short of discrimination. If I were Mahroof I would without doubt consider my position in the party, but knowing the kind of guy he is, I'm sure he will remain loyal to the party because unlike some politicians, he is a real believer in Labour values.

Wed, 2012-11-14 12:53 — Bob_Cratchet (not verified)

Despite stories like this, people still seem to think the Labour Party is democratic. There are none as blind as those who don't want to see what is staring them in the face.

Wed, 2012-11-14 12:30 — Rotherham lad (not verified)

Not even speculation! Many have put the question to Mahroof Hussain, yet he has stayed local to the Labour Party! Even after this stitch-up; I myself ask why? But the Labour Party must really think about his involvement within politics as he has shown to be, an inspirational figure; gathering support where ever he goes.

Wed, 2012-11-14 12:05 — gordon macmillan (not verified)

There "inevitably speculation that Hussain will stand as an independent" and yet in the next line you say he tweeted to unite behind the local candidate. So that would be speculation that Hussain quickly silenced?