Tensions within Manchester Labour have erupted into an extraordinary public row amid claims a high-profile female councillor has been forced out for being too ‘outspoken’.

In-fighting within the council has been blamed for pushing out Hulme councillor Amina Lone, a former Labour parliamentary candidate, after seven years at the town hall.

Officials have said their decision to bar Coun Lone from re-standing in next year’s local elections - a highly unusual move - was due to a poor attendance and campaigning record.

But in a stinging letter to the local and regional party, one veteran activist has called it ‘one straw too many’ and said it brought ‘shame to the Manchester Labour party’.

“Councillors who do not fit in and comply are sidelined or worse still, removed from the council,” wrote Drew Walsh, referring to ‘powerful’ factions within the council’s Labour group.

Coun Lone herself has suggested her own ‘outspoken’ campaigning on gender equality within the Muslim community may have fuelled the decision, although insiders continued to point to what they said was a poor attendance record.

The latest tensions - six months after the fraught Gorton selection process - have boiled over ahead of next May’s local elections, which this time around will see every seat up for grabs.

Usually sitting councillors are automatically allowed to stand again, but Coun Lone was ordered earlier this summer to face an interview on the grounds that her local campaign and council attendance records were not up to scratch.

Ultimately she was not re-selected, despite a letter of support from council leader Sir Richard Leese.

She also lost a subsequent appeal. A fellow female councillor who went through the same process, again due to issues with her campaign record, was re-selected.

While it is highly unusual for members of Manchester Labour to be publicly critical of the party, following Coun Lone’s deselection veteran activist Drew Walsh wrote an open letter to local and regional bosses.

Mr Walsh, who has held senior positions in the local party including secretary, chair and election agent, wrote: “Failure to speak out for fear of bad publicity is doing a disservice to our party and betraying the basic principles of the Labour party that I hold dear.”

Describing Coun Lone as someone who had ‘sacrificed much for the Labour party’, he blamed ‘powerful’ factions with ‘leadership ambitions’ for pushing her out.

“That Manchester Labour councillors form factions should come as no surprise and were these open campaigning groups, the party would not have a problem,” he wrote.

“Unfortunately they are not. People act not to do what’s right, but to further their power and factional aims regardless.

“Councillors who do not fit in and comply are sidelined or, worse still, removed from the council.

“A number of councillors, often women and some with family commitments, have stepped down having been pressured to do so.”

Mr Walsh added: “When you have the power and people are not prepared to speak out, you can do as you wish in Manchester Labour party.

“This shames all of us in Manchester Labour and must be stopped.”

Coun Lone, who stood for Labour in Morecambe at the 2015 general election, suggested her campaigning work on gender equality in the Muslim community - particularly since the Manchester Arena attack - may have had a part to play.

Her de-selection was the result of a faction ‘looking to curry favour and get rid of an outspoken woman’, she said, adding: “It is sad that a minority within tarnish the work of so many decent Labour people.

“It is curious this action has been taken at a time when I am loudly championing gender equality within faith communities.”

Her criticisms come as Labour councillors increasingly jockey for position in the expectation that veteran council leader Sir Richard Leese may step down in the next couple of years.

They also surface as Labour comes under scrutiny nationwide for its shortfall in female councillors.

Earlier this week the think-tank IPPR reported a 3,000 deficit in women representing the party in town halls. While Manchester has taken pride in its record of gender equality, a string of young female councillors have left - or are due to - since 2010, in many cases due to difficulty juggling childcare commitments.

In response to a request for comment on Coun Lone’s de-selection, city party chair Linda Priest said that because ‘the bulk of the comments in Mr Walsh’s letter refer to an individual’, she was unable to comment.

Sir Richard Leese declined to comment, saying that it was a party issue.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “The process for selecting local government candidates is clear and outlined in the party’s rulebook, including the right to an appeal with the regional board.

“We conduct a fair and rigorous appeals process with members from outside the area. The decisions made are based on evidence provided.”