Jacqueline Brown is Labour’s vice-Chair in the Nechells ward and is well-known and widely respected across of all sections of the community, both inside and outside of politics.
Her stinging accusations are likely to re-ignite the row over Mahmood’s selection at the expense of Yvonne Mosquito.
"This is not just about Yvonne it is about us as a community" Brown told The Stirrer.
"It seems as though we work really hard, but at every hurdle we get knocked down. It breeds a sense of hopelessness. We feel we can't go higher than a certain level."
Brown believes there were irregularities in the postal voting ballot and argues, “The Party must take steps to stem the tide of corruption and ballot fraud.”
She warns that in any event, disillusionment among the black community may already have cost Labour the Ladywood seat.
Dear Prime Minister,
Postal Voting Scandal in Ladywood Constituency
I am a Labour Party member for the Birmingham, Ladywood CLP and vice-chair of the Nechells Labour group. I am horrified at what I see to be a fundamentally flawed process during the recent selection of the new Ladywood parliamentary representative.
I feel it has yet again brought the city, and the party, into grave disrepute, and I am seriously considering resigning from the party, as are many other colleagues. This is disappointing as I have worked and campaigned tirelessly for the party for many years.
Since Clare Short resigned, we have been going through the selection process for her replacement, which has, unfortunately, been dogged by the skullduggery more suited to a ‘banana republic’.
Of the 245 members eligible to vote, the wards of Soho, Ladywood and Nechells voted for Ms Yvonne Mosquito, whilst the ward of Aston overwhelmingly voted for Ms Shabana Mahmood.
This put Ms Mosquito as clear winner.
However, on the evening of Friday 6th June, between 6 – 8 pm, 40 postal votes were received, and accepted. Yet, contrary to procedure, these votes were the same colour as the others; further, up until this point, Ms Mahmood had been trailing behind the other candidates. After this late, sudden influx of votes, Ms Mahmood emerged a ‘clear winner’.
It also appears certain party members were aware of the ‘result’ the day before the count; one of the candidates, Ms Samuels, withdrew declaring, she had no wish to compromise her integrity with politics more suited to the third world than the UK.
There has been an unprecedented backlash within the Ladywood community, particularly as the local candidate, for whom a majority had voted has been overtaken. In simple terms of eligibility, the figures do not stack up.
The row is growing; there are calls for an inquiry; demands for independent scrutiny; calls from the Black church council and other community bodies.
There is also a very real chance that one of the safest seats in the Labour Party will be lost at the next election, as the tide of predominantly Black and White residents, who backed their own local candidate and are traditional Labour voters swings in other directions.
The Party must take steps to stem the tide of corruption and ballot fraud; in this case, it may have caused irrepairable damage.
Yours Sincerely,
Jacqueline Brown (Mrs)
