Anderson: Labour is not a meritocracy

Labour has named Daniel Carden as the party’s candidate for the Walton parliamentary seat, prompting beaten rival Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson to respond: “Today, we are reminded that the Labour Party is not always a meritocracy”.

Anderson, Carden and North West European MP Theresa Griffin made up the shortlist for the seat, which has been vacated by new Liverpool Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram.

Carden, born in Liverpool, is Len McCluskey’s aide at Unite. Carden’s father, Mike, was a shop steward in the Liverpool dockers’ strike in the 1990s.

Labour has a 27,000 vote majority in Liverpool Walton.

The Labour Party’s national executive committee made the decision this afternoon. Nominees are normally selected through a voting process at a local party level, however due to the imminent General Election candidates are now being chosen by senior members of the party.

Anderson issued a statement on Twitter, in which he listed his political experience, but said it “wasn’t good enough for the panel, and everyone knows why”.

He continued: “Today, we are reminded that the Labour Party is not always a meritocracy… we will continue to campaign for the General Election, after which there will be more to say.”

Rotheram has been vocal that his successor should be someone with strong roots in the area. Both the chairman and the secretary of the Liverpool Walton Labour Party have resigned over the decision.

Read Anderson statement below in full:

Joe Anderson Comment

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