MPs urged to make way for favoured candidates

Number 10 is targeting sitting MPs in the North in a bid to get favoured candidates selected

by Chris McLaughlin and David Hencke
Friday, March 26th, 2010

Downing Street is cold-calling Labour MPs with requests for them to stand down in order to make way for preferred candidates.

The Number 10 operation is targeting safer Labour seats in the north of England and Scotland. It comes amid a three-way dash by the unions, Downing Street and supporters around Peter Mandelson for up to 90 seats yet to choose a candidate.

Last week Number 10 intervened to impose local councillor and friend of retiring MP James Purnell, Jonathan Reynolds, onto the shortlist for his Stalybridge and Hyde seat after Lord Mandelson’s intervention. Unions with representation on the National Exceutivee Committee’s special selections panel have vowed never to allow a repeat of any unconstitutional moves.

Former TV presenter Gloria di Piero has been chosen by 110 votes to 27 to replace Geoff Hoon as the candidate in Ashfield.

Tribune understands Gordon Brown has made it clear to the NEC’s national panel that he wants a broad selection of people from the left and right, including new generation of women and black and ethnic minority candidates to win selection for “safe” constituencies.

One of them is his deputy political advisor Jonathan Ashworth, while Lord Mandelson is doing his best to secure Stoke Central for the historian Tristram Hunt.

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  • http://petergkenyon.typepad.com/peterkenyon/ Peter Kenyon

    Dear Chris

    Jonathan’s opportunity has opened up with the announcement earlier today that John Heppell MP for Nottingham East is stepping down.

    More here http://bit.ly/akfYQY

  • http://petergkenyon.typepad.com/peterkenyon/ Peter Kenyon

    Dear Chris

    Jonathan’s opportunity has opened up with the announcement earlier today that John Heppell MP for Nottingham East is stepping down.

    More here http://bit.ly/akfYQY

  • swatantra

    Gordon has a point, but it has to be a fair system. Fact is MPs do retire because they become past it, and its important to get good people, ie Govt Men and Women into good seats. Because at the end of the day, if we get that 4th Term the Govt has to govern ie 100+ people Ministers have to be appointed, to run the Country. I’m all for amateurism but you can only stretch it so far. With a new intake we will have a smaller pool of experienced people to draw on. The only flaw in Gordons thinking is the system has to be fair, we can’t have too many professional career politicians filling in the square holes. But again that in itself is a paradox because by their nature all politicians are professional, we would expect all our politicians to behave and act professionally. What we really mean is that this fairer system has to produce 30 really good BME 100 really good women 30 really good Trade Unionists, 50 young 35 yearolds and much fewer 70 yearolds, etc,

  • swatantra

    Gordon has a point, but it has to be a fair system. Fact is MPs do retire because they become past it, and its important to get good people, ie Govt Men and Women into good seats. Because at the end of the day, if we get that 4th Term the Govt has to govern ie 100+ people Ministers have to be appointed, to run the Country. I’m all for amateurism but you can only stretch it so far. With a new intake we will have a smaller pool of experienced people to draw on. The only flaw in Gordons thinking is the system has to be fair, we can’t have too many professional career politicians filling in the square holes. But again that in itself is a paradox because by their nature all politicians are professional, we would expect all our politicians to behave and act professionally. What we really mean is that this fairer system has to produce 30 really good BME 100 really good women 30 really good Trade Unionists, 50 young 35 yearolds and much fewer 70 yearolds, etc,

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