A SHAKE-UP of how Worcester’s Labour Party selects its parliamentary candidate could be on the cards after the party ditched Mandy Richards as its hopeful last week after three days of lurid headlines.
Furious members of the party were backed by Labour’s National Executive Committee who decided not to endorse Ms Richards after she appeared to cast doubt on the death of party MP Jo Cox and questioned the lack of images of the damage caused in the Manchester terror attack.
She was chosen by the city’s Labour members on April 14 to fight the next General Election in a bid to overturn Robin Walker’s 2,490 majority for the Conservatives at last May’s snap poll.
But she was ditched last Wednesday following the furore over her tweets in relation to the murdered MP and last May’s horrific terror attack at the Manchester Arena and following revelations which alleged she has been banned from bringing court actions without the permission of a judge after she claimed MI5, MI6, the Metropolitan Police, the Army, Thames Water, the Royal Mail, Hackney Council, her GP and others were harassing her.
Constituency party chair Ian Craigan confirmed Ms Richards would not be the party’s candidate and said revealed how party members locally had been unaware of the furore when they chose her as Labour’s election hopeful.
“All applicants are explicitly asked in the application form and by the interview panel to disclose anything in their background, personal, political or financial, past or present, which could have any potential to embarrass either themselves or the party in the media – or bring the Party into disrepute in any way,” he said.
“Ms Richards chose not to disclose any information in response to that question in the application form or interview.
As a result the NEC concluded she has displayed a lack of judgement not compatible with the high standards the Labour Party expect of candidates and elected representatives.
“I am satisfied that the NEC has agreed with my own view that failure to share information at selection is a serious breach.
“There is no doubt that had members been in possession of the relevant facts the selection process would have had a different outcome.
“I am grateful to colleagues locally, regionally and nationally for ensuring that this matter was investigated and dealt with,” he added.
Mr Craigan said the party would re-run the selection process following a review of the process.
In a statement, Ms Richards apologised to the ‘lovely people of Worcester’ for the consternation and said she was disappointed with the decision to axe her.
“The comments attributed to me on Twitter were also misleading. I have never stated the Manchester bombings and Jo Cox’s death were staged or false,” she said.
“As a journalist, teacher and aspiring politician my role is to question, educate and reform.
“If in that endevour individuals have unfairly seized on an opportunity to distort my intention to further their own ambition at the expense of mine, they will need to wrestle with their conscience in due course.”
