All-male shortlist for Labour

Ealing Southall
THERE WAS SHOCK in Southall today after the woman frontrunner to be Labour's byelection candidate was ditched in favour of an all-male shortlist.

The late Southall MP Piara Khabra campaigned for a woman to replace him claiming that potential women candidates were "far better" than the men.

But today frontrunner Sonika Nirwal, who is leader of Labour's opposition group on Ealing Council, missed out on the chance to represent the party in a byelection caused by Khabra's death.

A National Executive Committee (NEC) supervised meeting picked a shortlist of two men, veteran Ealing councillor Virendra Sharma and Oxford-educated barrister Jo Sidhu.

Open list: Jo Sidhu (left) and Cllr Virendra Sharma

Sharma, who has long fancied the seat, is hotly-tipped to win the internal selection tomorrow. Sharma or Sidhu will face Conservative Tony Lit and Lib Dem Nigel Bakhai in the byelection poll on 19th July.

Before Khabra died on 20th June, Labour had designated the seat an all-women contest following his decision to retire.

Nirwal was widely seen an the favourite, and the former Operation Black Vote shadowee would have made history as Britain's first Asian women MP.

An insider said Nirwal had "not been around long enough" to justify being selected.

Following Khabra's death Keith Vaz MP, the Black Socialist Society representative on Labour's ruling NEC, successfully lobbied for an "open" list to chose the byelection candidate.

The choice of two men will disappoint women within the party who hoped the recent appointment of Harriet Harman as party chairperson would usher in more black and Asian women. One insider called the result "a disgrace."

Another said: 'There have been old men in Southall hankering after the seat since before most of us were even born, watching Khabra's every heartbeat.'

Nirwal, speaking in February, criticised the "old boys club" operating in Southall. She added: 'We want to make change happen now, not in 25 years.'

Last year Khabra told Blink: 'I tell you, we had enough of men it’s time for women now, from the Asian community.' He repeated his remarks to a local paper, saying: "We should give more opportunity for women to play their part in running the country. I can assure you the women candidates are far better.'

There is speculation that another veteran Ealing councillor, Gurcharan Singh, may run as an independent after he failed to make the Southall shortlist.

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