Labour party must select Black candidate

There has been very little opportunity to select BME candidates in winnable seats for this forthcoming election, yet with Tony Banks standing down in a constituency that has more than 50% of Black and minority ethnic communities the Labour party have been offered a golden opportunity to bridge that gap.

The Labour party are threatening to use the vacancy as an all women short list. To do so would almost certainly ensure a white candidate. To date all-women short lists have produced not one BME politician. The only acceptable all women short list would be one with all Black women.

Simon Woolley, National Co-ordinator of Operation Black Vote said:This seat will demonstrate the depth of Labour's commitment to Britain's Black communities. If it fails to select a Black candidate in the one area of the country that has more than 50% Black people we know that once again the party seeks to take our vote for granted. Let me say this, they do so at their peril. This election will see an unprecedented mobilisation of the BME electorate and no party will take us for granted.

Ashok Viswanathan, Campaigns Manager of Operation Black Vote said: With so large Asian and Tamil, and Muslim and Hindu communites in Newham it would show great will to traditionally loyal Labour voters to select a black or at best Asian candidate for the area. There's a danger that people will continue to tune in but be turned off at this election if their representatives don't start looking more like the people they serve.

Notes to the editor:

There are currently only 13 black MPs out of 659.

OBV has identified 100 seats that can be decided on the black vote at the next General Election.