Local Labour activists last night demanded that Tory turncoat Christian Wakeford face a by-election following his defection from Boris Johnson’s party.
Following his joining Sir Keir’s Labour, Bury South MP tried to assert that he will continue representing the constituency but not go back to voters.
Yesterday, however, members of his party suggested that the decision was not democratic as they voiced their dismay at the fact that they had to accept him into Labour.
Lucy Burke was Labour’s 2019 candidate when Mr Wakeford lost by only 402 votes. She called for by-election to allow local voters to determine if the candidate should stand.
She said, “I believe that respecting the voters and democratic processes of Labour Movement”
“This includes upholding local member’s democratic rights to choose and reselect their candidates for parliamentary office, as well as ensuring transparency and accountability. It also means putting fairness and equality into practice.
“As such, the Bury South CLP members (Constituency Labour Party), should have an opportunity to elect their parliamentary candidate. The people of Bury South should also be able to vote for their MP or the party they represent.
Christian Wakeford, Bury South MP (pictured), has attempted to assert that he will continue representing his constituency after he joined Sir Keir Stern’s Labour.
Lucy Burke was Labour’s 2019 candidate when Mr Wakeford beat him by only 402 votes. She called for a byelection to allow local members to make the decision about whether he should run for the party’s nomination.
Yesterday, Mr Wakeford appeared anxious and said he needed to get more sleep. He introduced Rachel Reeves, shadow chancellor of the Tory party.
Joshua Harcup is the Bury South CLP Youth Officer and also asked for a byelection.
“Some members are very angry already. Some have asked why now?” He explained to PoliticsHome that if Labour is performing well in polls it could be because of this.
Yesterday, Mr Wakeford appeared anxious and said he needed to get more sleep. He introduced Rachel Reeves, shadow chancellor of Bury.
Before he rectified himself, he incorrectly called Sir Keir Starmer ‘Keir Lama’.
After the meeting, Mr Wakeford stated that the decision to leave was not something he took lightly. He also said that he received an “incredibly warm” welcome from the Labour Party.
Reacting to the comments that Boris Johnson was his election candidate, he stated, “I’ve received hundreds of emails from people asking for me to oppose Boris Johnson.”
Jacob Rees Mogg laughed as he rebuffed Labour demands for him to defect to Tory politics yesterday, telling House of Commons MPs that his welcome would have been even greater than the one given to Bury South’s member. ‘I believe my welcome would have been even warmer than the welcome given to the Bury South member. I don’t think he has received the most warm welcomes from young socialists , who aren’t so keen.