An emergency meeting is to be held after Labour suspended Lloyd Russell-Moyle, the MP for Brighton Kemptown for the past seven years.
Mr Russell-Moyle had been chosen as the party’s candidate for the general election on Thursday 4 July but will be replaced, with an announcement from Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) due within days.
Among the names rumoured to be in contention are Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s former speechwriter Chris Ward, currently a director of London PR firm Hanbury Strategy.
🔴 BRIGHTON KEMPTOWN & PEACEHAVEN: it now looks like former Starmer adviser Chris Ward will get this seat. https://t.co/6rhgI51jBD
— @Tomorrow’sMPs (@tomorrowsmps) May 30, 2024
An email was sent last night (Wednesday 29 May) to members of the Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven Constituency Labour Party (CLP), headed: “What happens next?”
The email said: “Under these circumstances we, as a party, will need to work with a new candidate.
“To that end, I have had a very positive conversation with region this evening.
“They will advise us as soon as a candidate is selected.
“They will provide additional resource and training to help us with the campaign. We will not be on our own in this.
“I know that some members may feel they have to leave the party in these circumstances but please think hard about this.
“We are in the party because we believe in Labour values.
“As a CLP committed to electing a Labour government, I would urge everyone to pull together to ensure we retain Brighton Kemptown as a Labour seat.
“The officers will be holding an emergency meeting to discuss this and as soon as we have more information we will update you.
“For the time being, however, I must advise you to suspend campaigning for Lloyd.”
The former BBC Newsnight journalist Michael Crick has tweeted the names of two potential candidates although neither has said publicly that they are applying to be selected for the seat.
One was the actor and comedian Eddie Izzard, who was beaten in the contest to become Labour’s candidate in Brighton Pavilion. The other was Chris Ward, who worked closely with Sir Keir Starmer at Westminster for six years.
This afternoon Mr Crick said: “It now looks like former Starmer adviser Chris Ward will get this seat.”
Yesterday, Mr Russell-Moyle tweeted: “Someone (who remans anonymous to me) has made what I believe to be a vexatious and politically motivated complaint about my behaviour eight years ago.
“This is a false allegation that I dispute totally and I believe it was designed to disrupt this election.
“There isn’t enough time to defend myself as these processes within the party take too long so the party has told me that I will not be eligible to be a candidate at the next election.
“I’m gutted. I’ve spent the last decade of my life building one of the best campaigning CLPs (constituency Labour parties) in the country.”
The deadline for nominations is at 4pm on Friday 7 June.
No one has yet admitted making the complaint that led to Mr Russell-Moyle’s suspension but some people appear to have had some idea of what was coming.
The complaint appears to date from eight years ago – about the time when Mr Russell-Moyle won a by-election to represent East Brighton ward on Brighton and Hove City Council. He became an MP just over a year later.
One person who appears to have predicted the ousting was Brighton housing campaigner Daniel Harris who tweeted a week ago that the MP was on his way out.
Gill I know has learned from Nancys inexperience and well bad reaction to locals fighting. Nancy is the past, local labour need to keep it this way. Lloyd also on his way out… no support!! https://t.co/FPHkJgejsw pic.twitter.com/jIku682PXA
— Brighton & Hove Housing Advocate & Activist (@HousingDAN) May 19, 2024
I wont be joining any political parties prior to this election, or after. I cant vote for my own MP for personal and local reasons, so again its going to be a no vote situation for me, instead we will be scrutinising the candidates selected and hoping for real reform and change!
— Brighton & Hove Housing Advocate & Activist (@HousingDAN) May 23, 2024
Anyone but Eddie Izzard
Yup, publicity stunt!
Good to see Labour trying to keep their house in order by getting this national embarassment ousted.
What were his qualifications for this ward? that he was gay and had hiv? ooohhh.. letsss vote for himmmmm
What bigotry Reid!
His HIV status was not publicly made until after he became an MP. I’m no labour fan, yet this stinks.
MPs represent Constituencies not wards.
Strange that he fought (and won) in two previous general elections – 2017 and 2019 – yet this allegation against him has only just been made.
All this stinks. Eight year old allegation that has none previously surfaced and he’s out?. Be careful what you wish for,, failed Green councillor Elaine “LTN” Hills may get in now
Many of us will not vote for a flown in interloper with no previous interest in the area, who does not know the area, suddenly parachuted in by his party.
That goes for any party prospective candidates.
Our current MP. grew up locally and knows both area and the people.
It stinks of dirty tricks the way our MP. has been ousted and we cannot trust a party who does this without giving the voters the facts and for the anonymous person’s name revealed.
Whilst we have no idea of what an 8 year old allegation could be, the source has taken its time to bring this up, and therefore it could not have previously been important, if it actually occurred in the first place.
By trying to cull certain voices within their party, and our MP. is not the only one this week, it will come back to bite them.
I doubt the party can reveal what the allegations are unless they’re found to be valid. Russell-Moyle probably could but I can understand why he wouldn’t want to either. I do think it’s pretty harsh and unfair that these allegations are only being made now – the timing is obviously deliberate and malicious from whoever made them. Nothing to stop the same thing happening to any MP.
Decent local MP replaced by corporate lobbyist and Starmeroid stooge. Never trust New Labour