In the latest blocking of socialist Parliamentary candidates by Keir Starmer’s Labour, Dawn McGuinness was prevented from standing before members for the new seat of Bangor Aberconwy, despite backing from Unison and Unite which should have seen her longlisted. The reasons given by the Labour Party focused on Dawn’s previous support for Jeremy Corbyn. On Monday, two-thirds of the selection committee resigned in protest at the way the selection process had been conducted.

Dawn McGuinness is a CLP rep on Labour’s National Policy Forum. She also sits on Welsh Labour’s Standing Orders Committee and was a Senedd candidate for Labour in 2021. Below is her public statement on this debacle.

I am extremely sorry to have learnt that Welsh Labour have taken the decision not to longlist me in the selection process for the new Bangor Aberconwy constituency. This is in spite of having the support of two affiliated unions – Unite and Unison.

I do not believe that anyone has a right to be a Labour MP, but I do believe in the principle that members deserve both a fair chance to put themselves forward, and a fair chance to select from a broad range of candidates. This decision gravely undermines that principle.

Ordinarily, the support of even just one affiliated trade union would be enough to secure an automatic place on the longlist. Instead, I have been blocked from the longlist for wholly opaque reasons. In informing me of the decision, Welsh Labour have encouraged to me to apply for other seats, implying that they view me as a suitable candidate – but just not for the place where I grew up and live.

This demonstrates not just serious contempt for members, but for the electorate too. Unfortunately, there is no process by which I can appeal this decision (despite there being an appeals process in England). So needless to say I am angry and disappointed that once again the Labour Party has acted to stifle democracy among the local membership.

Thank you to all those members who offered me support up to this point in the process. I appreciate it so much.

Yours in solidarity,

Dawn McGuinness.

Stop press: Current rules state that a shortlist has to include at least four people, at least half of whom should be women.  Neither of these criteria were met.  So apparently the Chair of the WEC was able to authorise a departure from the rules.  To quote one Party member, when questioned if there was any point in having rules at all, “the reality is that the Party machine bends its own rules on virtually a daily basis.”

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