Labour MP Sam Tarry ‘extremely concerned’ by deselection vote
Mr Tarry has been deselected as Labour’s candidate in his Ilford South seat.
Labour MP Sam Tarry has demanded to see details of the vote that led to him being deselected in his constituency.
The former frontbencher said he was “utterly crestfallen” and demanded further details about votes cast electronically in the Ilford South selection process.
The left-winger, who was sacked as a shadow transport minister after giving interviews from a picket line, failed to see off the challenge from the leader of Redbridge council, Jas Athwal.
While candidate selection can be a fraught issue internally within Labour, it is rare for a sitting MP to be deselected by their local party.
The last time it is thought to have happened is in 2010.
Mr Tarry said: “I am utterly crestfallen by the result in the Ilford South selection last night, not for myself but for the good people of Ilford who deserve better than to have been at the centre of a manufactured political circus.
“I am extremely concerned about the result, which does not reflect the feeling my campaigners met on the ground talking day in day out to members, or the extensive meticulous data we gathered on the campaign.
“I am taking some time to consider what’s next, but in order to be assured of the integrity of the result I am asking the party to share with me the full information of who cast electronic votes, by what method, and when they were cast.”
Labour said Mr Tarry had already been provided with a list of eligible voters, including those able to vote electronically.
Mr Tarry was sacked from Labour’s front bench in July after giving interviews from an RMT picket line.
The vote on Monday night came after his local constituency branches opted to trigger full reselection proceedings.
Mr Athwal, a well-known figure locally, ran to stand in Ilford South in 2019 before being suspended by the party over a serious allegation.
He was later cleared.
Wes Streeting, the party’s shadow health secretary and MP for Ilford North, was among the first to offer congratulations to Mr Athwal.
He praised his “resounding victory”, which he said reflects his lifelong commitment to this borough and “his outstanding leadership for Redbridge Labour”.
