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Aberavon selection: Kinnock struggling in third place

Port Talbot steelworksStephen Kinnock has been shortlisted in the selection to be Labour’s parliamentary candidate in Aberavon but is thought to be trailing in third place. The real contest, local sources say, is likely to be between current favourite, Progress member Jeremy Miles, and left-wing challenger, trade-union backed Mark Fisher. Members of Aberavon Labour Party will meet on March 22 to decide on the final candidate from a shortlist of seven.

Jeremy Miles received the highest number of nominations including 6 ward branches and two trade unions (the GMB and Unite). He is a solicitor and Oxford graduate who stood in Beaconsfield in 2010 and then unsuccessfully sought parliamentary nomination in Cardiff South & Penarth, Mark Fisher, a local Unison official, was next with one member branch and six union nominations from Unison, CWU and the NUM. Kinnock, son of the former Labour Leader and husband of the current Danish prime minister, received two ward nominations plus Community which represents steelworkers in Port Talbot.

Although Mark Fisher looks well behind Miles in terms of ward nominations, he is believed to have been runner up in most of the wards in which others were nominated and may even have been ahead of Miles in terms of votes cast at nomination meetings. There is also some criticism from local Unite members that their branch nominated Miles rather than Fisher. Kinnock has the highest public profile but is hampered by being seen as a celebrity outsider and by controversy about alleged tax avoidance and sending his daughter to a private school.

The outcome may well be decided on the basis of the split of transfers from Stephen Kinnock.  Parmjit Dhanda, Member of Parliament for Gloucester from 2001 to 2010, and local councillor Suzanne Paddison, received several nominations each as additional nominations for BAME and women candidates, but are not seen as front runners. Other candidates are Gavin Freeguard whose family is from Port Talbot but has worked as a SpAd for Harriet Harman after graduating from Cambridge (2 ward nominations), and Sarah Woodall , the third Cambridge graduate (Kinnock also being one), originally from Abergavenny but long-standing resident of Cambridge.

Image credit: Port Talbot steelworks by Matt Jones under CC license 2.0 generic

5 Comments

  1. EH says:

    Jeremy Miles also recieved nominations from UCATT and Usdaw. And I’m surprised to hear that local unite members aren’t pleased unite nominated him as I was at the branch meeting and the decision was unanimous

  2. Reality Check says:

    lol is this a comic blog by any chance??

    I have read all your blogs on this selection campaign and I really can not understand how your sources unless obviously a candidate is feeding you such inaccurate information? Mark Fisher maybe? lol

    Jeremy Miles may have looked the favourite with ward nominations and certain unions (EH which local unite branch are you with then as NO Unite, UCATT branch voted at TATA steel and I can assure you as a member myself I do not know of one Unite or UCATT member who is in favour of Jeremy Miles as it is common knowledge across the works, that everyone wants Kinnock) Mark Fisher is no where near the front and maybe it was politics playing that got him on the so called “Shortlist?” I think that its important to point out that FREEGUARD and KINNOCK had the nominations of the Largest wards – FREEGUARD Aberavon East and Bryn & Cwmavon which is the largest went to KINNOCK. Kinnock also had the ASLEF branch vote and 7 community affiliated branches. NUM and USDAW are not affiliated unions to Aberavon CLP so do not count. Mark FIsher won the smallest ward and many of the wards that MILES won are all now being questioned and funny thing Unite Executive member is involved in this?? Democracy at it best eh?? Panjit Dhanda is impressing many members regardless of being the BAME candidate, he is in the top 3 favourites.

    Bit of egg on face for many including myself, but Kinnock is clearly proving that he his the man for the job and its not his Daddy behind it!! I was one of the Bigots that was an anti Kinnock but I am man enough to say I was ignorant and judgemental listening to others, but I am now clearly a Pro Kinnock all the way, totally the man for the job in his own right, in fact he has a lot more to offer than his father did at his age!! In regards to private schooling of his daughters, this proved to be all lies too. Tax invasion investigation was raised before his wifes campaign, so similar to this blog really trying to discredit good people?? You forgot to state that the tax invasion found no tax was owed?? Maybe now its about time, to allow the candidates prove themselves to the membership in a fair and professional process??

  3. Robert says:

    Well Progress for the next few years will be on the baddy list.

    Unions have had fingers burnt badly first of all going for Ed MIliband and then having power removed.

    Progress party change of name next once Blair gets back

  4. John Reid says:

    Robert, have you any proof, that Stephen Kinnock is even in progress, as for Blair coming back, the only person who came back was Livingstone, even Owen never really came back.

  5. swatantra says:

    There is absolutely no way that Blair could ever come back; former PMs never do, certainly post WWII. They may have done in thre C19 but hardly so in the C20. When the King/Queen had the power to pick her own PM they often took turns in and out of Office; but those days are gone. And Blair’s influence is waning; so too is Progress’s. They may have won us the Elections in the naughties, but things have moved on a lot since then. Wilson came back briefly in ’74, but thats about it.

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