Shaheen: Deselection shows members ‘mean nothing’ as she quits Labour

Former Labour candidate Faiza Shaheen, who was barred from standing for Chingford and Woodford Green last week, has resigned from the party after a national executive committee endorsed her replacement on Tuesday.

In a statement posted on social media, Shaheen described her deselection as “cruel and devastating” and said she had faced “unfair treatment”

She added that she would make an announcement on her next steps tomorrow, with speculation she could run as an independent in the general election.

Her statement reads: “I cannot, in all conscience, continue to contribute to a party that seems to think so little of people like me and has moved so far away from my values.

“I will not beg and grovel to earn my place – I want to be treated as an equal and with the respect afforded to others.”

She highlighted how she had campaigned throughout pregnancy and when her son was just six weeks old, and claimed her removal showed “the desires of local members and my community mean nothing to the people at the top of the party.”

READ MORE: Seven Slough councillors quit Labour over Shaheen, Abbott and Gaza

Shaheen has said her deselection was over a series of social media posts she faced a probe over last week, with some dating back years. She has said one involved a “trope” about Israel for which she apologised.

Her husband Akin Gazi, an actor, also said he had quit on social media. “I fear for what they will do to our country if this is how they treat their own,” he wrote.

A spokesperson for left Labour campaign group Momentum said: “Once again, Keir Starmer’s hyper-factional war on the left has created an almighty mess for Labour.

“In Faiza Shaheen Labour had a respected, popular, local candidate democratically selected by local party members. But instead of supporting her, Starmer’s allies decided to purge this campaigner against inequality on spurious grounds and parachute in one of their own clique from outside the constituency.”

READ MORE: Shaheen’s lawyers challenge Labour deselection as she claims ‘bullying culture’ and ‘problem with brown people’

The Chingford and Woodford Green constituency Labour office was graffitied with anti-Israel messages over the weekend, prompting new candidate Shama Tatler to vow to stand up against “the forces of hatred and antisemitism.”

The Labour Party was not immediately available for comment.

A Labour spokesperson previously told LabourList regarding their broader candidate selections: “We have selected a fantastic group of candidates in place for the General Election on Thursday 4 July.

“They will be campaigning across the country to bring Labour’s message of change to voters.”

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