Labour resignations over 'parachuted' shortlist

The current Islwyn MP Don Touhig is standing down

Four Labour councillors in the Islwyn constituency in south Wales have quit over claims a replacement for retiring MP Don Touhig is being "parachuted in".

One of the councillors, Dave Rees, intends to stand against Labour at the forthcoming General Election.

The group object to a shortlist of candidates to replace Mr Touhig, which includes people from outside the area.

A spokesman for the Labour party in Wales said the councillors' resignation was "disappointing".

Dave Rees, Jan Jones, Phyl Griffiths and Jonathan Wilson who handed in their resignations say people on the shortlist have been "parachuted" in from outside the area and "know nothing" about it.

The councillors claim an unspecified number of other members of the Islwyn Labour Party have also resigned.

The Islwyn Labour shortlist of parliamentary candidates for Islwyn includes former AM Tamsin Dunwoody who unsuccessfully stood as the party's candidate in the Crewe and Nantwich by-election in 2008.

In a resignation letter to Prime Minister and Labour Leader Gordon Brown, the four also set out a list of objections to UK government policy.

These include what they call the UK government's failure to reform the House of Lords and to contain "asset based inflation" which "has taken UK plc to the brink of insolvency".

They write: "It is with a heavy heart that we leave the Labour party. However, we look at the situation as being, not us as having left the Labour party, but the Labour party having left us."

The late Peter Law stood as an Independent at Blaenau Gwent

The councillors compare their grievances to those voiced in the Blaenau Gwent constituency before first the late Peter Law and subsequently sitting MP Dai Davies and AM Trish Law successfully stood as Independents against Labour.

They write: "It appears that the Labour party have learnt no lessons from Blaenau Gwent, when the Labour party imposed a candidate upon local members and suffered the humiliation of Independent candidates overturning a 19,000 majority...

"We will give the people of Islwyn the choice of a person who lives in Islwyn and knows the problems we face, as oppose to the Labour party candidate, who we believe just wishes to use Islwyn to further their own careers.

"We and the people of Islwyn want an MP who will be Islwyn's man/woman in London, not London's man/woman in Islwyn."

'Disappointing news'

A Welsh Labour spokesperson said: "Nothing has been received by the party directly by the members concerned.

"If it is the case that these councillors will be resigning their membership, then it is clearly disappointing news.

"However, after a strong conference weekend and hugely positive recent polls, Welsh Labour is in great shape to fight the next election.

"The quality of the candidates applying for... Islwyn merely underlined the fact that we have a deep reservoir of talent to draw on."

The councillors' letter also complains about the MP expenses scandal, the banking crisis and that "the Labour party has prevented local authorities from building council housing."

Islwyn Labour MP Don Touhig announced his intention to stand down in January. He has served as the constituency's MP since 1995.

Mr Touhig said: "Labour party procedure has been followed and party members will now get the opportunity to select a candidate from a talented shortlist."