A candidate has withdrawn from the Croydon East selection process as it reopened following a data breach probe, saying he had faced a “distressing level of abuse”.
Joel Bodmer, a Unison official and vice chair of the London Trade Union and Labour Party Liaison Organisation (TULO), announced on X that he would be quitting the race to become the party’s candidate in the London constituency.
The selection process was temporarily suspended last year after a suspected data breach. An investigation recently found that some personal details of members in Croydon East had been “altered on the Labour Party membership database without authorisation”.
The selection process has now resumed, but a source close to Bodmer’s campaign told LabourList he had faced a “considerable amount of abuse” in the original selection campaign and that he “does not have the emotional energy to deal with this and fight the contest at this time”.
In a post on social media, Bodmer said that he had “no idea” that the delay in resuming the selection process would be so long and said: “This time has given me time to reflect on the contest and spend much needed time with my family.
“I do not want to expose myself or my family to the distressing level of abuse that arose from some quarters during the original selection campaign.
“My personal circumstances are now very different from when I put myself forward for Croydon East in the summer of 2023. I am therefore withdrawing from the Croydon East selection process.”
— Joel Bodmer (@JoelBodmer) March 12, 2024
Bodmer also thanked his supporters during his time running for the candidacy and said: “I am looking forward to campaigning for whoever the successful candidate is.”
He did not rule out standing for selection at a later date, adding: “I’m sure I will have more opportunities in the future.”
Bodmer’s withdrawal leaves three people in the race to become Labour’s candidate for Croydon East; Olga Fitzroy, Natasha Irons and Johnson Situ.
All three took to social media to express their regret at Bodmer’s decision. Fitzroy said: “Abuse is never acceptable in politics and helps no-one” and offered her best wishes to Bodmer and his family. Irons also wished Bodmer well and said: “This has been a very difficult time for everyone involved.” Situ said he was sorry to hear about the abuse Bodmer had faced and said: “Joel has a lot to offer the wider Labour movement”.
Ballots are expected to be issued shortly, with the hustings due to take place on March 23rd, an email to members seen by LabourList shows.
A spokesperson for the Information Commissioner’s Office said: “Organisations have a responsibility to ensure the data they process is accurate. The Labour Party has made us aware of this incident and we are making enquiries.”
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