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Progress candidate who has abused access to membership database should be banned

Fiona Twycross, recently elected to the Greater London Assembly and sitting member of the national policy forum, has deliberately abused her privileged access to Labour’s membership database for the second election running. She is a candidate backed by right-wing party-within-a-party, Progress, for election as a London constituency party representative, a position to which she was first elected two years ago.  On that occasion, when she was standing as an “independent”, she was able to send a text message to all London members — a form of self-promotion which has not been allowed to any other candidate in any intern al election before or since. It enabled her, a relatively unknown outsider, to surprise everyone by winning a place.

This year, backed by Progress, she has written to members across London “to thank them for their help in getting elected” just three days before the ballot papers go out for the national policy forum. She was elected three weeks ago with three other assembly members on the list system. But, as Labour List asks:

So why was Fiona emailing London activists – in any capacity – so soon before the NPF elections? Were other Assembly Members elected on the list afforded the same opportunity? Why wasn’t this email sent by a staff member? (whoever is currently running London region for example). Is this email needed to be sent by a politician, then why not Len Duvall (the leader of London’s AMs) or Ken Livingstone himself?

There is only one way to restore faith in the impartiality of the London Labour Party. Fiona Twycross should be barred from standing forthwith.

4 Comments

  1. Robbie Scott says:

    You don’t seem to let facts or examples interrupt the flow of your posts. You’ve just raised lots of conspiracy-laced questions and I don’t think we ought to attack people’s character in this way. You don’t know whether other GLA members were afforded the same opportunity and you automatically assume the worst, which I don’t think is fair at all. Why don’t you find out first?

    Her email has been twisted beyond recognition; the email was basically about continuing phone banks and creating a London-wide campaign team that was the gist of the email. Enthusiasm ought to be welcomed! Over the past 4 years what projects/ideas did Nikki or Maurad have (fantastic though they are ☺). Our London-wide candidates have virtually no name recognition outside of the party and it’s a problem for European elections also. Rather than criticising her maybe you’ll join one of these new phone banks or the new ‘flying squads’?

  2. Robbie Scott says:

    You don’t seem to let facts or examples interrupt the flow of your posts. You’ve just raised lots of conspiracy-laced questions and I don’t think we ought to attack people’s character in this way. You don’t know whether other GLA members were afforded the same opportunity and you automatically assume the worst, which I don’t think is fair at all. Why don’t you find out first?

    Her email has been twisted beyond recognition; the email was basically about continuing phone banks and creating a London-wide campaign team that was the gist of the email. Enthusiasm ought to be welcomed! Over the past 4 years what projects/ideas did Nikki or Maurad have (fantastic though they are ☺). Our London-wide candidates have virtually no name recognition outside of the party and it’s a problem for European elections also. Rather than criticising her maybe you’ll join one of these new phone banks or the new ‘flying squads’?

  3. Steve says:

    “There is only one way to restore faith in the impartiality of the London Labour Party.” Maybe, but sacking the partisan staff and starting again with the emphasis on an accountable London Labour Party might also be helpful.

  4. Matty says:

    As the Labourlist article says “Profile is everything for these elections, and an email to the entire electorate is a huge opportunity that I doubt will be afforded to others.”

    As to Robbie’s comment “Why don’t you find out first?”, maybe because we’ll never get an answer. The Labourlist article and this one from Left Futures went out on May 21st. Where is the response from Fiona or the GLLP?

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