A FORMAL complaint has been made after five Labour councillors were deselected, the Guardian understands.

Those deselected include Waltham Forest mayor Cllr Anna Mbachu, as well as Cllrs Shameem Highfield, Tarsem Bhogal, Elisabeth Davies and Milton Martin.

No official explanation was released by the Labour party on the deselections, and the Guardian has been informed that the complaint has been raised with the regional party in London.

The London party is believed to have been brought in to run the selection process following other complaints about deselections in 2005, when the process was run locally.

It is also understood that the selection process has now been suspended.

Angry deselected councillors have already broken ranks to speak out after being spurned by their party.

Lea Bridge member Cllr Davies said: “I'm angry. Of course I'm angry all three black councillors have been deselected. Is it racially motivated? What do you think?”

She also said she plans to challenge the decision.

Cathall member Cllr Martin also expressed anger over the cull and a Labour insider has claimed the councillors were ejected because of their associations with former leader council Clyde Loakes.

The Guardian is awaiting a statement from the London Labour party.