Another day, another drama. Labour has been thrown back into the spotlight after deselected candidate Faiza Shaheen today announced her resignation from Sir Keir’s party in a rather scathing — and detailed — Twitter post.
Shaheen was originally the selected for the Chingford and Woodford Green seat — but just last week, the left-wing candidate was ditched by party apparatchiks after reportedly liking social media posts that downplayed accusations of antisemitism. Hauled to a meeting with the party’s NEC, Shaheen was quizzed over her social media conduct before being dropped by Starmer’s army. The ex-candidate has certainly not kept quiet about her disappointment, lambasting Labour on BBC Newsnight last week: ‘Honestly I’m so shocked right now to be treated this badly.’
And her anger didn’t appear to wane much over the weekend. On Saturday, a fuming Shaheen took to Twitter after Labour campaigners came to her door with leaflets promoting her replacement, Shama Tatler. Posting a picture of one of the activists, which the ex-candidate has since deleted, Shaheen tweeted: ‘I’m livid.’
And now she has released a rather wordy statement announcing her resignation from Sir Keir’s party. Slamming a ‘sham process’ that Sheehan says was ‘initiated for spurious reasons’, the former Labour candidate raged:
I campaigned throughout my pregnancy and, as soon as I was signed off by the doctor, went out knocking doors six weeks after giving birth to my son. Being removed a candidate has been cruel and devastating, especially after local voters and party members have placed so much faith in me…
I have faced a relentless campaign of unfair treatment, bullying and hostility that I have never before experienced in all my personal or professional life. I have been penalised for describing my experiences of Islamophobia and been dismayed at the hierarchy of racism that exists in my own party…
My removal shows that the desires of local members and my community mean nothing to the people at the top of the party. I cannot, in all conscience, continue to contribute to a party that seems to think so little of people like me and has moved so far away from my values.
Crikey. Lefty infighting is hardly what Sir Keir will want the public’s attention on with only four and a half weeks to go until the general election. And it sounds like things aren’t quite over yet between Starmer and Shaheen. The former Labour candidate promises to ‘make an announcement tomorrow’, while Mr S hears whispers of her supporters planning to protest vote to send a message to the Labour leader. Stay tuned…
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