Labour party leader will step down in protest

Feb 5 2010 by Adrian Pearson, The Journal

A SENIOR Labour party leader has warned he will step down after a row over an all-women shortlist for the North Tyneside MP nomination.

Eddie Darke, secretary of Labour’s North Tyneside General Committee, has told the party’s national bosses he will not be standing again for his current position in protest at the way they have “let down” North Tyneside.

Mr Darke, a councillor in North Tyneside, hit out after a meeting to decide on the future of the seat was held without him.

It is thought 19 women have put their name forward for the seat currently held by Stephen Byers with a 15,000 majority.

Across the region, Labour party bosses have ordered local members to ban men from standing where possible as they try to increase the number of woman holding key posts.

But in an email to party leaders, Mr Darke suggested his constituency was being forced to accept an all woman shortlist in order to maker it easier for NUM president Ian Lavery to go for the Wansbeck seat in Northumberland.

His email said: “It seems to me that the national Labour party could not care less about the membership who do all the work on the ground.”