THE Labour Party's selection of Claudia Webbe as a replacement for Keith Vaz as its candidate in Leicester East has enraged a few supporters.
Navin Shah, a London Assembly member from Brent, has accused Labour of being not transparent enough in its selection process.
"UK Labour has perfected stitch up and lack of transparency to a fine art. Enough is enough," he tweeted on Wednesday (13).
Shah was vying to become the Labour candidate for Leicester East in the upcoming election.
Former Labour city councillor Sundip Meghani has also voiced his disapproval of Webbe, saying he could not stay silent on "the obvious dodgy practices and nepotism involved in this process."
He also said Webbe's selection was "a slap in the face for the Indian community in Leicester."
He said: “Any other decent candidate would have been suitable – it didn’t necessarily have to be me – but by selecting such an inappropriate candidate for Leicester East Labour has chosen to rub salt in the wound it has created among British Indians.”
A Labour spokesperson, meanwhile, defended Webbe, saying she was an excellent candidate to represent Leicester East.
The spokesperson said: “Claudia Webbe is a BAME [Black, Asian and minority ethnic] woman who was born in and grew up in Leicester.
“Her knowledge of the constituency, her extensive experience as a councillor and as a campaigner for equality for all ethnic minority groups make her an excellent candidate.
“The panel that chose her as a candidate included regional and local constituency representatives.”
Former Leicester East Labour MP Vaz on Sunday announced his decision to stand down from the seat after 32 years in Parliament.
His departure comes following calls to suspend him from the party after revelations that he offered to buy cocaine for two male sex workers.
In a statement, Vaz said: "I have decided to retire after completing 32 years as the Member of Parliament for Leicester East.
"In that time I have won eight general elections. It has been an honour and a privilege to serve my constituency since I came to the city in 1985.
"I want to thank the people of Leicester East for their absolute loyalty and support."
Davindra and Seema Misra, and Vijay and Gita Parekh
Varchas Patel with his father Vipin and mother Jayshriben
Hasmukh Shingadia and his wife Chandrika were all victims of the Horizon scandal
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Man pleads not guilty to murder of BBC presenter's family
A 26-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering the wife and two daughters of BBC sports commentator John Hunt in a crossbow and knife attack.
Kyle Clifford, who also faces charges of rape, appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.
Clifford, arrested in July after a manhunt, is charged with three counts of murder, one count each of rape and false imprisonment, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons – a 10-inch knife and a crossbow.
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session.
He is expected to enter a plea for that charge at a later date.
The victims were Carol Hunt, 61, wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28.
An earlier hearing revealed that Louise had been found tied up and that both she and her sister had been shot with a crossbow, while their mother had been stabbed with a knife.
The fatal attack occurred at the family’s home in Bushey, a commuter town near Watford, northwest of London.
(With inputs from AFP)