COVENTRY South Labour Party members have selected West Midlands regional campaigner Zarah Sultana as their general election candidate.
She was selected from a shortlist of just two candidates amid controversy over a longlist produced by national party officials rather than the local party, under emergency ‘snap election’ rules.
Ms Sultana, reported to be aged 26, tweeted tonight: “Thank you so much to Coventry South CLP for selecting me as your candidate in this general election.
“I promise to give this campaign my absolute all and to fight for the socialist labour government working people in Coventry desperately need.”
A member of Unite the union, her candidacy had been endorsed by its general secretary Len McCluskey, who visited Coventry last night.
At tonight’s selection meeting, she beat fellow shortlisted candidate Neeraj Patil, a medic and Lambeth councillor.
Unconfirmed reports are she won in a secret ballot by 105 votes to 38. with 11 spoilt papers.
Some members of the constituency party had accused the National Executive Committee and regional officials of hijacking local democracy after local councillors as applicants had been left off the longlists.
Similar complaints remain in Coventry North West, where members are requested to select from a shortlist of two on Saturday – regional trade unionist Des Arthur and London pharmacist Taiwo Owatemi.
The Labour Party has insisted it has applied its rules correctly in both seats, with choices for longlists made on merit.
Both successful candidates will be strongly fancied to win the seats and become the next Coventry MPs, given the thumping Labour majorities in both seats in recent general elections – despite the potential for electoral volatility amid Brexit division.
It follows the announcements of the resignations at the next election of veteran Coventry Labour MPs Mr Cunningham and Geoffrey Robinson.
Ms Sultana has been a West Midlands regional party official and appears to have been endorsed by colleagues there.
She stood as a West Midlands Labour MEP candidate in this year’s European elections, when she was the fifth preference on a slate of eight West Midlands candidates.
Her selection material is pro-immigration and workers’ rights and says little about Brexit, for which 55 per cent of people in Coventry voted in the 2016 referendum.
She is considered to be on the left of the party. She studied International Relations at the University of Birmingham, sat on the national executive of Young Labour, and on the national executive council of the National Union of Students. She was a committee member of an NUS Black Students Campaign.
Her interests include human rights and anti-racism.
Ms Sultana was previously parliamentary officer for an organisation named Muslim Engagement and Development (MEND).
MEND has faced accusations over hosting allegedly ‘extremist’ an ‘Islamist’ speakers, denied by supporters.
The Jewish Chronicle in May wrote a critical piece concerning Ms Sultana’s position at MEND and her views on the Palestinians and Israel.
