If you put the Diane Abbott row to one side, it has been a very successful week for the clique who control Labour’s candidate selections. Rishi Sunak’s decision to call an election eight days ago means that the National Executive Committee can now impose who they want on constituencies across the country. More than 100 have since been slotted into seats, ahead of the party’s self-imposed deadline of all candidates being chosen by next Tuesday – an impressive exercise in party management. It is certainly a marked contrast with the 150-odd vacancies which their Tory equivalents need to fill.
The candidates selected over the past week are very much Starmer’s people. Their politics are moderate; their brand professional. They represent a continuation of the ‘Starmtrooper’ phenomena identified by Katy Balls, whose massed ranks are now being swelled by the addition of this ‘parachute regiment.’ Of particular note are the 20 candidates selected since Tuesday, since when the NEC have been able to select candidates without giving the local membership a choice.
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