Remember the shennanigans in Erith and Thamesmead when local party members rose up against an attempt by Blairite dinosaurs to parachute a 23-year-old ingenue into one of Labour’s “safest” seats in the south east? Well now they’re at it in the north.
Hackles are rising over the arrogant ambitions of former Number 10 aide Jonathan Woodcock who appears to believe he has the right to walk in and inherit the Barrow and Furness seat (majority 6,037) from his other former boss and Cabinet member John Hutton.
Woodcock declared himself the natual successor in a front page story in the local paper drafted by his Blairite supporters in London. Some shifty usage of party lists and other manoeuvres have outraged the other shortlisted candidates who are in the process of considering an unprecedented boycott of the selection process while Woodcock is involved.
Key to the revolt is local Cat Smith a rising star of the Labour youth wing who is said to be wavering on the grounds that a mass pull-out would simply hand the seat to Woodcock. She is said looking to be looking long-term beyond short-term headlines.
It’s all in flux so can’t say more now. Full report in Tribune this week.
