LONDON - (Labour Buzz) The Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, Tom Watson MP, has accused elements within the party of seriously harming its chances at the next general election. His intervention comes following the decision by Barking Labour to undertake a reselection for its next candidate for parliament.

Margaret Hodge, the longstanding MP for Barking, faces a “trigger ballot” in which she has stated her intention to remain the Labour candidate.

Watson said, “Our professional organisers, constituency activists and MPs are spending an extraordinary amount of time on internal selections when they could be preparing for an imminent general election.”

Taking a swipe at a “hard-left faction”, Watson added, “I know the Jon Lansman-led hard-left faction on Labours NEC are committed to full reselections but they risk Labour’s chances of election success against Boris Johnson with their dogmatic behavior.”

Jon Lansman is on Labour’s NEC and is also Chair of Momentum, the prominent grassroots campaign to support Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of the Labour Party. A spokesperson for the organisation said, “If were going to beat Boris Johnson and get Labour elected we need to open the door to a new generation of MPs drawn from Labour’s half a million members. Inspiring candidates who know their communities and are committed to delivering a transformational policy agenda are a crucial part of Labour’s plan to win, and Momentum will continue to support members in getting them selected.”

In a tweet, Lansman added, “The left is most certainly not behind the triggering of Margaret Hodge in Barking nor was it the result of anti-Semitism. I’m told it happened because members on the right had expected her to retire and want an MP who actually lives there, not one who has always lived in Islington.”

Tom Watson’s intervention comes at a key moment as Labour is preparing for a general election, or possible participation in a caretaker government to prevent a no-deal Brexit.

Labour insiders have insisted that Hodge had not been targeted due to her role in criticising Corbyn’s handling of the anti-semitism crisis in the party.

Under rule changes it has become easier for ordinary Labour members to force a contest. At the 2018 Labour conference, rule changes reduced the threshold for which a “trigger ballot” could occur to force a selection challenge.

Margaret Hodge has served as Labour MP for Barking since 1994 and served in a number of junior ministerial posts under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. She saw off a challenge from the BNP in 2010 and was the first woman to chair the Public Accounts Committee. During her time as chair she became famous for her direct challenges to companies over tax avoidance.

The Labour Party’s ruling body, the National Executive Committee, will determine the timetable for the selection process. At the start of the Labour Party conference, Lansman had tabled a motion calling for the abolition of the role of Deputy Leader of the Labour Party. The timetable for the selection in Barking is yet to be determined.

(Written by Brendan Chilton, edited by Sam Gallagher)

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