A STROUD politician has released a further statement after being 'removed from the parliamentary contest'. 

This comes after the politician said she was deemed 'not suitable' to be Labour's next candidate for the parliamentary constituency of Stroud. 

Doina Cornell - leader of Stroud District Council - had put her hat in the ring last week. 

Two names have since emerged on Labour party website Labourlist.

They are Clare Moody and Simon Opher. 

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"The Labour Party longlisting panel has made the decision not to include me on the longlist for the selection of the next Labour parliamentary candidate for the Stroud constituency. 

"I was the local candidate with a long track record of making the lives of people in Stroud better. 

"I am deeply disappointed that Labour Party representatives who have no local connection removed me from the contest on what I can only describe as spurious and partisan reasons. 

"They did so without consultation with local party members regarding my suitability. 

"I know how frustrating this is for local members who wanted to take part in the full democratic process of selecting their prospective member of parliament. 

"I ask all members to reverse this decision and let the members decide who will best represent them as the next member of parliament for Stroud."

Fellow politicians and activists took to social media to share their dismay at the decision. 

Social media reaction

 

Stroud district councillor Robin Layfield - who represents the Rodborough ward - said: "I am so bitterly disappointed to hear that the party are being this short-sighted.

"We have an excellent local candidate - a real challenger in Doina Cornell but it seems the Labour party aren't interested in local leadership, knowledge or the ability to build consensus."

Prominent left-wing activist George Aylett - who has over 200,000 followers on Twitter - also condemned the decision. 

"The Labour leader of Stroud District Council is apparently not suitable to be a potential Labour Parliamentary candidate for Stroud," he wrote.

"It’s outrageous to deny local members the opportunity to vote for a more-than qualified candidate."

A Labour spokesperson told British magazine LabourList: “Voters deserve the best representatives for their communities in parliament, and with Keir Starmer’s leadership Labour expects our prospective candidates to uphold the highest of standards.”