Holly Walker-Lynch selected as Labour candidate in Halifax

Halifax Constituency Labour Party have selected Holly Walker-Lynch to replace Linda Riordan as the candidate in the constituency. Walker-Lynch was selected by members today from a shortlist of five people.

The new candidate is from Halifax and works for Yorkshire and Humber MEP Linda McAvan.

It has not been the smoothest of selection processes, with Karie Murphy, who was at the centre of the Falkirk selection storm in 2013, not making the shortlist, and news this week revealing that more than 130 members have been disqualified from the vote today.

Labour Party rules state that members can vote in a candidate selection if they joined the party more than six months previously. However, this was changed for this selection to 12 months, disqualifying a large number of members who have joined in the last year. Current MP Linda Riordan was against this change, and confirmed that the vast majority of these new members were from the same ward. Riordan has also criticised how long the selection process has taken, although she only announced her retirement a month ago.

Of the disqualifications, Riordan said: “You can’t take people’s money and not give them a vote. It’s wrong.”

However, according to the Guardian, there are allegations that the new members were signed up by one person, and the subs paid by a single credit card.

Riordan leaves behind a Labour majority of 1,472, and Halifax is number 18 on the Tories’ target seat list.

Naveeda Ikram, Susan Hinchcliffe, Dot Foster, and Jo Coles were the unsuccessful candidates. Commiserations to them and congratulations to Holly Walker-Lynch.