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Friday 21 August 2009

Pulling rank, Labour style?

I see that Ed Balls winning of the selection contest for the new Morley and Outwood seat is coming under renewed scrutiny.

The current Rothwell Labour MP, Colin Challen, has claimed he is being pushed out of Parliament to make way for cabinet minister Ed Balls to contest the new merged constituency. Colin Challen has made a submission to the Committee on Standards in Public Life that goes against what he originally said when he announced he was standing down as an MP in order to take up a job after the next election with Sir Nicholas Stern, author of the Treasury's global warming report. Do bear in mind the connections between Ed Balls, ex of the Treasury, Nicholas Stern and Gordon Brown.
Colin Challen's submission in a letter, marked "strictly private and confidential", to Sir Christopher pointed out that the manner of a politician's departure from Parliament can sometimes be "unusual". It is claimed that he said:
"An MP who – like me – is effectively 'pushed out' in a selection contest, eg, after a Boundary Commission review, is no less entitled to view the matter as a form of redundancy as is an MP who loses their seat in a general election. I am happy to talk to you about this if you wish, but it is very politically sensitive."


Oops that may have let the cat out of the bag. Rothwell Today reports that:
"Mr Challen, who is currently in the South Pacific, was unavailable for comment.

A spokesperson for Yorkshire and the Humber Labour Party said: "The selection process in the new Morley and Outwood Constituency was conducted in a normal and fair way in accordance with Labour Party rules as set down by the NEC."

Mr Balls was unavailable for comment."
Somehow I don't think this will make the BBC news. I wonder if Ed Balls will be asked any questions regarding this matter by anyone.

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