The prominent left wing Labour MP for Ilford South, Sam Tarry, has been deselected as the local party’s candidate for the next election. Mr Tarry was beaten to the Labour nomination by Jas Athwal, the leader of the local Redbridge Council.
The move will widely be seen as a blow for the Labour left. It is the first time that a sitting Labour MP has been deselected for more than a decade. Mr Tarry is widely regarded as a rising figure on the left of the party, and was backed by the campaign group Momentum.
Tarry was active in organising Jeremy Corbyn’s successful 2015 bid for the labour leadership. He is currently in a relationship with the deputy leader of the Labour party, Angela Rayner.
Mr Tarry, a former union official with the TSSA rail union, was sacked from the Labour front bench by Sir Keir Starmer this summer after he appeared on a picket line during the ongoing rail dispute.
The reselection battle in the safe Ilford South was triggered after every local Labour branch voted for Mr Tarry to face reselection. In a reversal to the last nighgt’s result, Mr Tarry had beaten Jas Athwal to the Labour nomination back in 2019.
Prior to the last general eleciton, Mr Athwal had been forced out of the selection contest after he was suspended for allegations of which he was 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, the current shadow health secretary, is seen as a leading figure on the right 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 suggested that Mr Tarry may now look to secure the nomination in other Labour seats as a potential candidate for the next election.
