‘What’s the point of even being here?’ Labour’s candidate selections leave a sour taste in Birmingham
‘What’s the point of even being here?’ Labour’s candidate selections leave a sour taste in Birmingham
Plus: Is the Gay Village under threat?
Dear Patchers — welcome to your Monday briefing.
Cram in, don’t be shy. There are now 16,243 of you on our list (including 709 paying readers) and room for plenty more. It’s been seven months since we published our first ever story — time that has barrelled on as relentlessly as a no. 11 bus at peak time — and we’ve got another bumper issue for you to start your week off.
Looking back: Historian Jon Neale’s second Dispatch piece, about the Bull Ring Riots of 1839, went down a storm with readers on Saturday. A “rousing report of radicalism” was Anne Foster’s alliterative assessment, while Martin Mullaney called it “excellent”. We concur. Read it now if you haven’t already.
Looking ahead: This week will be an exciting one for local politics nerds – all general election candidates will be confirmed. At Dispatch HQ we’ve been busy planning our coverage for the weeks ahead. We want to bring you in-depth, colourful stories that really paint a picture of the action in the most contested and interesting constituencies. For access to everything, subscribe now — you won’t regret it.
Elsewhere, we’ve got you covered with a heads-up of what weather to expect over the next six days, a plethora of fun things to do, an affordable and chic maisonette in our Home of the Week and lots more to get you through your Monday.
Weather
🌧️Tuesday: Damper proceedings return after a very pleasant weekend. Light rain all day. Max 17°C.
🌥️Wednesday: Something more June-like (see: heading towards summer) with sun and cloud all day. Max 15°C.
🌥️Thursday: Similarly to Wednesday, sun and cloud all day. Sunnier earlier in the day. Max 17°C.
🌦️Friday: Sun and showers on and off all day. Max 17°C.
🌥️Weekend: A pleasant weekend with sunny spells broken up by cloud. Consistent. Max 17°C.
We get our weather from the Met Office.
Big story: ‘What’s the point of even being here?’ Labour’s candidate selections leave a sour taste in Birmingham
Top line: The Labour Party has been busy selecting its general election candidates in Birmingham and Black Country constituencies — but many local members are unhappy at hopefuls being parachuted in from on high.
Context: Labour boast commanding leads in the polls, but their top-down purge of left-wing candidates has left a sour note for some in the opening week of campaigning. Much of the attention has focused on veteran MP Diane Abbott (who has since been told she can stand in Hackney after all), but this is a West Midlands story too. The Dispatch understands there is low morale among local Labour politicians, party members and activists due to Labour imposing candidates on certain constituencies.
In Selly Oak Steve McCabe’s last minute resignation from his safe Selly Oak seat last Tuesday led to the party imposing a new candidate two days later: ex-marine Colonel Alistair Carns. His selection is part of a broader move by Labour to instate ex-forces personnel, thought to be a way of signalling that the party will be tough on defence. Carns served in the war in Afghanistan for which he won the Military Cross award for bravery; but some Labour sources have questioned the decision to choose a military figure at a time when some residents think the party has been slow to call for peace in Gaza.
A flash in the pan: A West Midlands Labour source told The Dispatch that while Labour is expected to win Selly Oak and Northfield (as well as Black Country seats Dudley and Aldridge-Brownhils) there is concern that because candidates aren’t well known locally, they might not hold on to the seats in five years time.
Over in Northfield, the departure of the popular Alex Aitken as the party’s candidate (and as a councillor for Kings Norton North) has come as a surprise to some. He stood down from both positions last week citing “personal challenges”.
There was speculation as to whether former parliamentary hopefuls who lost out to Aitken might replace him (namely Tom McNeil and the new mayor’s chief of staff Lucy Caldicott), but Labour has brought in a former union policy lead, Laurence Turner, to challenge Tory Gary Sambrook. The Dispatch understands some have questioned why Turner was not placed to run in Selly Oak, where he might be more favourable than ex-Marine Carns.
Local byelections in Northfield have seen similar manoeuvres. The Dispatch understands many, locally well-known figures applied to replace outgoing Councillor Kirsten Kurt-Elli but all were snubbed in favour of former teacher Esther Rai. A party member in Northfield said they thought the process had been imperfect, but “the thing to focus our energy on is working with our candidates and holding the seats. And that’s what party members are doing.”
While both wards were considered shoo-ins for Labour, a surprise win by the Tories in the recent Kingstanding byelection has Birmingham Labour shaken — there is a sense they might be facing a backlash. A West Midlands Labour source told us there is a general desire for change but council members feel powerless, and some are even considering resigning, thinking:
“I can't fix it. I can't do anything about it. So what's the point of even being here? Because I'm literally just watching the party impose crap people who can't fix the council.”
In Tipton and Wednesbury (a new seat made up of wards in Sandwell and Dudley), ex-Assistant Police and Crime Commissioner Tom McNeil was hoping to be selected. McNeil has been out regularly campaigning, but Labour has now brought in PR-expert Antonia Bance up from London to run.
And in Smethwick, the selection of Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) member, Gurinder Singh Josan, has raised some eyebrows due to the role he played in Faiza Shaheen’s controversial sacking (Josan was on the NEC panel which made the decision). But The Dispatch understands his selection did not come as a surprise; local Labour politicians expected outgoing MP John Spellar to resign at the last minute, freeing up a safe seat for a senior NEC member to swoop in and become the candidate.
Bottom line: While Labour is on course for a big win, the headlines about controversial purges and candidate impositions aren’t a good look. Although members and activists are rallying round to keep out the Tories, behind the scenes party morale in Birmingham has taken some hits. Whether concerns laid out here will be reflected in the result will be revealed over the next four weeks.
Photo of the week
Photographer Mac McCreery captured this wonderful layered photo in Pigeon Park, where a new Ferris wheel now resides.
Brum in brief
🗳️ Kingstanding by-election: Though most eyes are trained on the upcoming general election, Kingstanding residents voted in a new Conservative councillor last week — which reportedly came as a big shock to both the Tories and Labour. Clifton Welch won the by-election after Rick Payne (also Conservative) quit his post over allegations of posting offensive material online. In other by-election news, on the same day voters go to the national polls those in Northfield and Kings Norton North will also have the joy of voting in new councillors (full candidate lists will be confirmed by the end of this week).
🏳️🌈 Gay Village under threat: The parent company of The Village Inn and The Nightingale, is in financial trouble after seeking court protection from creditors. GB Holdings (UK) also owns The Loft Bar & Kitchen and Solihull Summer Fest and filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators. Full details here.
🍫 Mega fine for Cadburys: Cadburys owner Mondelēz has been whacked with a £288m fine for violating European competition regulations. The European Commission fined the firm for breaching cross-border sales and engaging in anticompetitive practices, including refusing to supply distributors and brokers in multiple EU countries. “Mondelēz did so to maintain higher prices for its products to the detriment of consumers,” said Margrethe Vestager, the E.U.’s Executive Vice-President in charge of competition policy. Full story.
Home of the week
This stylish two bedroom maisonette in Kingshurst is a stone's throw from the park, includes a communal patio area and has a long lease and cheap ground rent. It is on the market for £125,000.
Media picks
🩰 This photo essay on Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Sleeping Beauty at the Hippodrome gives a rare backstage insight into a major production. The Guardian’s Katie Edwards writes: “In the darkness at the back, leads pace with fierce concentration, while closer to the stage, dancers playfully pose and I even spot some twerking.”
🎧 BBC Radio Six show, Stuart Maconie’s Freak Zone, will be at this summer’s Supersonic Festival in Birmingham. The latest show features music by artists past and present who have graced the stages of this world-renowned experimental music and arts event. Give it a listen here.
Things to do
Tuesday
📖 Bookworms rejoice! The nation’s favourite TV book club, Between the Covers, makes its way to Birmingham’s Town Hall. Kacey Ainsworth, Jo Brand and Stephen Mangan will be joined by the Bestselling author of Star of the Sea, Joseph O’Connor, to discuss his work. Tickets here.
🙇♀️ For those wanting more calm in their life, the Birmingham Buddhist Centre is offering a six-week introductory meditation course to beginners. It starts this Tuesday evening. Details at a click.
Wednesday
👨🎤 Rock legends Status Quo return to the Midlands with a show at The Halls in Wolverhampton this Wednesday. Get down to WV1 . Information here.
🎧 UniPodFest 2024 is on all day at BCU with guests from the BBC’s podcast lineup as well as rapper and activist George the Poet. All the details.
Thursday
🎤 B-SIDE Hip-Hop Festival is back for a ninth year with break dancing, graffiti, Djing and MCing taking place across four days. Venus include Birmingham Hippodrome, Southside and Bullring & Grand Central. All the info.
🛋️ For fans of more intimate gigs, Sofar Sounds brings its much-loved performance series to Stirchley’s Tower of Song. Find out more here.
Correction: An earlier version of this article suggested GB Holdings was the parent company of Birmingham Pride but this is not the case and this has been corrected.
I'd like someone to highlight Tahir Ali's constituents office (the state of it). I live close by, he is never there for us, (his constituents)he doesn't respond to emails, nobody knows where he is, or how to contact him.
With compaining in full swing, he should be here for us.
Thank you
Anon
"“I can't fix it. I can't do anything about it. So what's the point of even being here? Because I'm literally just watching the party impose crap people who can't fix the council.”
The Party is imposing candidates because they are making sure that candidates are capable, commited, intelligent, not self serving, loyal and have not posted outrageous comments on social media like that one