Labour's Yaqoob decision 'extraordinary', claims MP

John Spellar said he was shocked that Labour had readmitted hard-left activist Ms Yaqoob after she stood against the party as a Respect candidate in the 2017 general election.

Last month Labour's ruling NEC selected her at the eleventh hour as a potential candidate for Mayor, after activists raised concerns that there was no BAME candidate to stand against Dudley councillor Pete Lowe and Birmingham MP Liam Byrne.

It prompted a furious reaction, with some members questioning the length of her membership and her party loyalty, while Naz Shah MP accused her of running a “despicable” campaign against her in Bradford West in 2017.

Now Warley MP John Spellar has waded into the row.

He told the Express & Star: "It is absolutely extraordinary that she has been readmitted to the party and been allowed to stand as a candidate for Mayor of the West Midlands.

"She was allowed back into the party even though she stood against a Labour candidate in the general election two years ago, at a time when Jeremy Corbyn was leader and the opinion polls were against us.

"The last thing we needed was to have to focus resources on a seat held by [Labour MP] Naz Shah."

'Despicable'

Former Birmingham councillor Ms Yaqoob, who is backed by Momentum boss Jon Lansman, has stood against Labour in three general elections.

The row over her selection ramped up a notch this week when it emerged that Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities Ms Shah had written to the Labour leadership urging them to bar Ms Yaqoob on the grounds that she is "unfit for public office".

Speaking to The Guardian, Ms Shah says Ms Yaqoob ran a "despicable" election campaign against her in 2017 which pushed her to the brink of suicide.

She also claimed Ms Yaqoob endorsed a campaign of misogyny, patriarchy and clan politics by exploiting patriarchal loyalty – known as biradri – among the city's Kashmiri and Pakistani community.

Ms Yaqoob has since attempted to calm the waters, saying: "My decision to stand as an Independent in 2017 was ill-judged, and I apologise again for this.

"But it wasn't taken with any intention to cause harm to Naz or Labour. Nor did I run a campaign of misogyny and clan politics.

"Let's fight Tories not each other."

Ms Yaqoob has sparked controversy in the past over comments relating to issues including Israel and terrorism.

She was also accused of plagiarism after her mayoral campaign video mirrored a clip issued by US politician Alexandria Ocasio-Corte.

Labour is expected to vote next month for its candidate to take on Conservative Mayor Andy Street in May 2020.