Who will be Labour’s candidate in Barnsley Central?

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

The Labour Party has begun selection proceedings ahead of the by-election to replace disgraced MP Eric Illsley in Barnsley Central. We understand that the party is currently taking “expressions of interest” from candidates. Deadline for candidate CVs is Monday, with interviews to determine a shortlist taking place on Wednesday and the selection happening on Thursday in what is an incredibly rapid selection process – especially as we don’t yet have a date for the by-election.

Labour are hot favourites for the seat, but who will our candidate be? We’ve spent the last twenty four hours examining some of the probable candidates for selection. This isn’t an exhaustive list though, we expect that there are other candidates in the running. Who would you choose? If you know someone else who is standing email us.

Linda Burgess
Councillor Burgess has served on Barnsley council since 2004, and currently serves as cabinet spokesperson for Children, Young People and Family Services. She’s said of her candidacy : “If there is an opportunity to represent Barnsley, and try to get the best for Barnsley, I have to go for it.”

Richard Burgon
Widely thought of as the union candidate – and publicly backed by Unite and the GMB – Richard is a trade union lawyer from Cross Gates, Yorkshire. He has been a GMB and party activist for over 20 years, representing working people on the shop floor and defending jobs and terms and conditions. He was particularly involved in the Leeds refuse strike.

Tim Cheetham
Popular local councillor Cheetham – who some of you may recognise as CllrTim on Twitter – is a cabinet member on Barnsley council and represents Royston ward. He has been shortlisted as the CCLA/LGiU online councillor of the year for the past two years, he’s a member of the LGA labour group, and was described as a “veteran anti-fascist campaigner” by the Sheffield Star.

Annajoy David
Annajoy David is a businesswoman with 18 years of experience running international companies. She was Labour’s candidate for Scarborough and Whitby at the general election in 2010, co-founder of the 1980s arts and cultural movement Red Wedge and the youngest ever Vice Chair of CND in the 1980s.

Kat Fletcher
A former President of the NUS, Kat was born and brought up in Yorkshire and has a wealth of experience in the education sector. She’s well-connected too, having worked as Ed Miliband’s head of volunteers during his leadership campaign – and would certainly have no problem mobilising many of these volunteers to campaign on her behalf. [LabourList understands that Fletcher has not put herself forward for selection, following the close of applications.]

Emma Hoddinott
A National Policy Forum rep, Emma was the PPC for the safe Tory seat of Yorkshire East in 2005, and was 3rd on the regional list for Labour in the 2009 European elections. She has a wealth of campaigning experience – having worked with John Prescott on his “Go Fourth” campaign, and came second in the Makerfield selection before the last general election.

Dan Jarvis
Former soldier Dan Jarvis wasn’t someone who was originally among the frontrunners for the Barnsley Central seat, but in recent days there has been a flurry of interest in him. 38 year old Jarvis spent fifteen years in the parachute regiment, and had family in Yorkshire. He may be a dark horse for this selection…

James Normington
James is a barrister and works in Barnsley County Court. He was PPC for Sleaford and North Hykeham and was sponsored by the GMB, Unison and Unite. Normington has been a party member since 1996, lives and works in Yorkshire, and is a director of England’s largest credit union (Leeds City Credit Union).

Mike O’Brien
Until May, Mike was the MP for North Warwickshire, a seat which he had represented since defeating Tory Francis Maude in 1992. Last year he lost his seat to the Tories by just 54 votes. He has a wealth of experience at the heart of government, and from 1997 onwards he served as immigration minister, minister for the middle east, minister of state for trade and industry, pension reform, energy, health services and solicitor general – a significant ministerial pedigree.