THE selection of a Labour parliamentary candidate for the Leyton and Wanstead constituency has been suspended because of unspecified “membership irregularities”, it has emerged.

Local party members have been growing increasingly frustrated by the fact a Labour prospective parliamentary candidate (PPC) has still not been selected to fight the seat, just five months before a general election.

The contituency party has now been informed that the selection of the PPC, and of candidates to stand for local council elections, has been suspended because of “allegations which warrant investigation.”

Local activists claim that at a recent meeting regional party officials Ken Clark and Sukie Sohal refused to give any further information on the allegations.

A resolution agreed by the local party last Friday said: “This Constituency Labour Party (CLP) notes that the region has never given any details of these alleged irregularities to any CLP officer and that at the meeting Ken Clark refused to give any details on the grounds that he could not be confident that the information would not be leaked to the press.

“The CLP considers that this is an implausible and insulting explanation and that the phrase 'serious membership irregularities unsupported by details is far more damaging than the facts could possibly be.”

The local party is demanding that it be given the go ahead to select its candidate to replace long-serving Harry Cohen, who is standing down at the election over stress caused by the expenses scandal.

Jack Dromey, husband of Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman, is rumoured to be in line to replace him - a move which would anger local members.

Labour holds a majority of nearly 7,000 votes in the seat.

But Ed Northover, the Conservative candidate, and former Mayor of Waltham Forest Farooq Quereshi, for the Lib Dems have stepped up their campaigning in recent weeks and Labour members are concerned about their party losing ground.

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