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Labour Party branches across Lewisham Deptford have this week been voting on whether or not they want our sitting MP, Vicky Foxcroft, to continue being Lewisham Deptford Labour’s candidate for Parliament.
In their preparation for a General Election, Labour-held seats across the country have been holding so-called ‘trigger ballots’ where local branches and affiliates of a Constituency Labour Party (CLP) decide whether or not they want to continue with their current parliamentary candidate. Had Foxcroft not won the full confidence of her constituency’s members, she would have then had to stand against other Labour candidates in an ‘open selection’.
The ‘trigger ballot’ process has recently been in the headlines with MP Diana Johnson facing open selection in the constituency of Hull North.
Lewisham Deptford CLP has been a target for factional control of the Labour Party for some time now, and the news this week will undoubtedly be seen as a blow to Lewisham Momentum activists. Vicky Foxcroft hinted at internal party tensions in a tweet urging the party to unite in preparation for a General Election.
Ladywell Labour Branch voted 67 to 39 in favour of re-selecting Foxcroft. All Lewisham Deptford Labour branches in full:
New Cross Gate: 48 for Vicky Foxcroft, 28 against
Evelyn: 29 for, 14 against
Lewisham Central: 50 for, 22 against
Crofton Park: 70 for, 37 against
Telegraph Hill: 90 for, 16 against
Ladywell: 67 for, 39 against
Brockley: 63 for, 20 against
1 comment
This is a bit embarassing for the local Momentum types who had spent a long time preparing for this and wanted to impose their own candidate for narrow factional reasons. They got absolutely hammered. They totally underestimated how popular Vicky Foxcroft is locally. No doubt they’ll still try to cause her trouble but now they can’t claim that anyone agrees with them. They are nothing more than a shouty minority with time on their hands.