Tuesday 12 January 2010

Nargis Khan - Wigan a la Haggerston?

She was de-selected from Dalston and then controversially re-selected in Haggerston only to stand down - apparently from politics all together.

But now Hackney Councillor Nargis Khan - Cabinet Member for Community Services - has resurfaced in Wigan amidst 'angry scenes' at a Labour Party selection battle.

Six prospective Labour candidates were selected to take part in the contest to replace MP Neil Turner but a popular local candidate was squeezed out. The defeated candidate's supporters blamed a last minute venue change and selective crowd control.

So conspiracy theories abound - as they did in Haggerston. That was where hard left Cllr Barry Buitekant was beaten by New Labour Cllr Khan in what the Conservatives claimed was a New Labour effort to save one of its own. Cllr Khan - who had been de-selected by the Dalston ward she will represent until the election - moved on Haggerston and allegedly benefited from a poor turnout of unsuspecting Buitekant supporters at the selection meeting.

In Wigan six people were selected to take part in the contest including Cllr Nargis Khan.

Wigan Today quoted one Labour Party member: "The meeting was moved from The Deanery High – which obviously has loads of room – to the Unite office, which doesn't.

"Officials decided there was no more room and locked the doors before we were due to start, leaving supporters out in the cold.

"When the result was announced people couldn't believe it. There was booing and people broke into a round of chants for 'McGurrin, McGurrin' before there was a mass walkout. It just wasn't right."

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