I’ve seen Labour stitch-ups in my time. But nothing as shameless as this

Protesters gather outside Hackney town hall in support of Diane Abbott. Photograph: Alishia Abodunde/Getty Images

There is nothing new about Labour officials rigging parliamentary selections. In 1985, when I applied for Sunderland South, Labour’s north-east regional organiser instructed the local party not to circulate the details of applicants from outside the region.

Happily, when the party’s national organiser heard about this, she summoned him and ordered him to rescind his instruction. Whereupon the old rogue blurted out: “But you know what will happen, if I do?”