Liverpool Labour MP Ian Byrne has raised concerns about his reselection process.
The West Derby MP, who was elected in 2019, is currently facing a series of votes to see if he will be re-selected as the Labour candidate for the constituency at the next General Election. He must secure the votes of the different Labour branches in the West Derby constituency to make it back onto the ballot.
With votes taking place across this week, Mr Byrne told the ECHO that he has become concerned about the processes being used. He is worried voting may be being "gerrymandered" against him.
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Ahead of another vote this evening in the Tuebrook and Stoneycroft ward, Mr Byrne - who was recently named MP of the year - has urged his supporters to hold up signs declaring their support for him during the Zoom meeting. He said it's "awful" to ask this, but wants to be certain the process is being carried out fairly.
Mr Byrne said: "My supporters in the constituency are asking all Tuebrook and Stoneycroft members who join tonight's Zoom meeting in support of me, to hold up a sign like this on the Zoom so that we can log the numbers and make sure they tally with the online vote."
He said the move comes after his concerns about vote counting after a meeting last night. He added: "It's absolutely awful to have to do this but the discrepancy between last night’s attendance by my supporters and the results of the ballot that came back today is massive. So the visibility of voting intentions on this occasion is vital because it’s the only we can prove if votes are being gerrymandered."
Mr Byrne replaced Stephen Twigg as the Labour MP for West Derby and is well known throughout the city as the founder of the Fans Supporting Foodbanks project, which he set up with Dave Kelly and Robbie Daniels. During his time in office he has led a campaign for the right to food for people who are struggling to be enshrined in law.
Labour said yesterday's meeting was supervised by a member of staff to ensure all rules were followed correctly and that the process being followed is fair and robust. The party pointed out that new rules passed last year actually increased the threshold for triggering sitting Labour MPs.
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