Labour Party Faces Criticism from Mayors and Union over Blocking of Mayor Candidate

The Labour party is facing criticism from two Labour mayors, Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram, who have accused the party of being undemocratic, opaque, and unfair after blocking Jamie Driscoll, a fellow Labour mayor, from standing for election as the party's mayoral candidate for the new north-east region.

Driscoll has been described as "the last Corbynista in power" since becoming the first mayor for North of Tyne in 2019.

The trade union Unite has also criticized the decision, saying it was motivated by Driscoll's support for the renationalization of utilities.

Driscoll, who supports a wealth tax and common ownership of utilities, was not given a reason for being blocked from standing but suspects it is because he would have won and because his political positions have fallen out of favour with the current party leadership.

Burnham and Rotheram have demanded that Driscoll be allowed to appeal against the decision and criticized the lack of transparency and fairness in the NEC's decision-making process.

They also praised Driscoll's "constructive, non-partisan approach" and called for a process of appeal with the ability to put his case to an NEC panel.

Jonathan Reynolds, the shadow business secretary, suggested that Driscoll's candidacy had been blocked because he had taken part in an event with the film director Ken Loach, who was expelled from the party in 2021.

Driscoll interviewed Loach at the Live Theatre in Newcastle upon Tyne in March, and said the two discussed the films Loach had made in the north-east, including I, Daniel Blake and Sorry We Missed You.

The Labour party is facing criticism for its handling of the selection process for a new north-east mayoral combined authority.

The party is accused of only selecting "nodding heads" and making serious policy mistakes as a result.

The decision to create the new mayoral role has been met with opposition from some quarters, and the Labour party's preferred candidate for the role is widely viewed as lacking the necessary experience.

The party's parliamentary private secretary has publicly expressed support for the candidate, leading to questions about impartiality.

The Labour party has declined to comment on the specific reasons for blocking the previous candidate from standing, but has stated that it holds its candidates to a high standard.