A Liverpool MP facing a battle to be selected as the Labour candidate at the next general election said the party has issues to respond to over the selection process.
Ian Byrne, MP for Liverpool West Derby, said he shared “serious concerns” raised by party members as the former city councillor goes through a series of votes to establish whether he will be on the ballot for a second term in Westminster at the next general election. Mr Byrne, like Labour MPs across the country, is going through a selection process as the opposition prepares for a national poll.
The former Everton ward member on Liverpool Council has taken part in votes from the different Labour branches in the West Derby constituency in a bid to make it back onto the ballot. He could now face a potential open selection process for the seat.
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In a statement on Twitter, Mr Byrne said: “I would like to thank all West Derby Labour Party members who took part in the MP reselection process last week. I share the serious concerns raised by members about the procedures followed and the many members who were unable to cast their vote.
“These issues are for the party to respond to. My focus will continue to be on representing the people and communities of Liverpool West Derby in Parliament and fighting for a Labour government that fights for the interests of the working class and trade unionists.”
The process for selection for Mr Byrne’s seat does not conclude until next month. He 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. Last month, Mr Byrne, who was elected less than three years ago with an almost 30,000 vote majority, expressed concerns about “gerrymandering” of votes against him during the ballot process and supporters in the Tuebrook and Stoneycroft branch were asked to hold up a sign indicating their backing on a party Zoom meeting to ensure votes were correctly counted.
This is not the first time the seat of Liverpool West Derby has courted controversy with its MP. In 2007, members voted to remove veteran MP Bob Wareing as the Labour candidate in favour of Mr Byrne’s predecessor Stephen Twigg.
Mr Wareing remained the constituency’s MP until the 2010 general election. The ECHO contacted the Labour Party for comment.
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