The prominent left wing Labour MP for Ilford South, Sam Tarry, has been deselected as the seat’s Labour candidate for the next election. Jas Athwal (leader of the locak Redbridge Council) defeated Mr Tarry to win the Labour nomination.
The Labour left will see this as a major blow. It’s the first time in more than a decade that a Labour MP has been removed from office. Momentum supported Mr Tarry as a rising figure on Labour’s left, and he is widely regarded as a prominent figure.
Tarry was active in organising Jeremy Corbyn’s successful 2015 bid for the labour leadership. He is currently in a relationship, with Angela Rayner (Deputy leader of Labour party).
Sir Keir Starmer fired Mr Tarry from the Labour front benches this summer, after he was seen on a picketline during the ongoing rail dispute.
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After every local Labour branch voted to elect Mr Tarry, the reselection battle for Ilford South was initiated. In a reversal to the last nighgt’s result, Mr Tarry had beaten Jas Athwal to the Labour nomination back in 2019.
Mr Athwal had been expelled from the selection contest prior to the last general election. He had been suspended on allegations which were later cleared. At the time Mr Athwal’s supporters claimed that his suspension was politically motivated by the then Labour leadership.
Mr Athwal’s victory has been welcomed by the neighbouring Labour MP for Ilford North, Wes Streeting. Mr Streeting is the shadow health secretary at the moment and is considered a leader of the right-hand side of the Labour party.
Writing on Twitter shortly after the result, Mr Streeting offered his ‘huge congratulations’ to Mr Athwal, describing him as a ‘self made man who came to Ilford from the Punjab, and built successful businesses, a wonderful family, and unprecedented Labour victories in Redbridge”.
Following his defeat, Mr Tarry told the website, Labour List, “I’m incredibly disappointed in this result, mostly for all my committed volunteers and the wonderful people of Ilford South. I intend to issue a further statement tomorrow on the process and outcome.”
It is now being suggested that Mr Tarry could now be looking to secure the nomination for other Labour seats, as a potential candidate in the next election.
