Labour ‘parachute’ row over Cities candidate selection
LABOUR’S candidate for the prized Cities of London and Westminster seat has come under fire from critics who claim the party parachuted him in, despite ongoing questions about his role in the party’s anti-Semitism scandal.
Gordon Nardell QC’s candidacy was announced on Tuesday afternoon, having been selected by a panel that included figures from Labour’s ruling body, the National Executive Council. But one source told City PM that the party had “slowed the process down (into the election period) so it was forced to go the NEC,” to avoid local members being involved in the selection.
Nardell is a controversial choice as he was appointed Labour’s first general counsel in 2017, charged with advising the party on its approach to dealing with anti-semitism complaints as well as heading up an inquiry into sexual harassment.
He quit shortly before a damning Panorama documentary aired earlier this year. It alleged failings in Labour’s response to antisemitism complaints.
Christian Wolmar – who lost out by just eight votes when local members originally chose Steve Saxby, before he then stood down – did not even make the NEC’s longlist.
Nardell is said to have long-standing friendships with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, shadow chancellor John McDonnell and general secretary Jennie Formby.
One source said of the NEC that “they were only ever going to select him because of connections, which go back such a long way.” A local Labour figure said “he has friends in high places.”
A former member of Militant, Nardell has ties with the Labour Representation Committee (LRC), a hard-left faction headed by McDonnell, which has been critical of the suspension of former MP Chris Williamson, among others.
Prominent Jewish figures, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told City PM of their concerns, with one suggesting it was “his reward for dealing with the anti-semitism issue – or rather, not”.
“At best they haven’t carried out their internal processes properly, at worst it’s a willful appointment,” said a former Labour member.
Sources pointed to Labour’s refusal to adopt the widely used International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism in full whilst Nardell was part of the complaints process as “unacceptable and inappropriate”.
A Labour party source said “That’s nonsense. Gordon Nardell is a highly respected QC, who specialises in constitutional and human rights law.”
Sources strongly refuted any allegation that Nardell had acted improperly in his role as in-house counsel, and said the party was serious about tackling antisemitism.