A few weeks ago I commented on the Birmingham Ladywood Labour parliamentary candidate selection. Cllr Yvonne Mosquito, a black Caribbean councillor, lost the selection to Shabana Mahmood, a Pakistani woman barrister.
As someone who takes an interest in ethnic minority issues, I’m well aware of the ethnic rivalry within this part of Birmingham but the fact that it has now spilled over into the Labour Party in Ladywood is quite remarkable. Now the saga continues with the Vice Chair of Nechells Ward Labour Party writing to the Prime Minister (click the link for the letter in full on The Stirrer website). It is not clear whether there was fraud or if it was simply local Labour Party members (who were away in Pakistan at the time) excercising their democratic right. Whatever the truth behind this saga, it is clear that the Labour Party has dug itself into a real hole over this selection and much conflict will continue.
Mountjoy