Hard-Left faction claims first scalp in war against moderates

MOMENTUM has claimed its first scalp as it launches a purge of moderate Labour parliamentary candidates in marginal seats.

The hard-Left group ousted Kevin McKeever in Northampton South and replaced him with a union official and Corbyn loyalist.

Mr McKeever was removed despite cutting the majority in the Tory-held seat from 6,004 to 3,793 at the 2015 election, then to 1,159 last year.

His ousting, the first as Labour begins to pick candidates for the next general election, comes as Momentum tightens its grip on the party.

Mr McKeever received a chilling death threat in 2016 when he was accused of involvement in a ‘coup’ attempt against Jeremy Corbyn.

The public relations executive was told his ‘blood is the price of your treachery’ and warned he would be ‘coxed’ – an apparent reference to the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox.

The letter, sent to his workplace, read: ‘Hello comrade, we’ve watched you leave this building.’

Mr McKeever lost out in his re-selection after trades unions mounted an operation to make postal worker Gareth Eales the candidate. Local councillor Mr Eales received the backing of ten unions, including the Communication Workers Union (CWU), where he has been an official for the past 18 years.

Mr McKeever yesterday wrote on Facebook of his disappointment, while the CWU posted: ‘Brilliant effort from all involved.’ Momentum leader Jon Lansman gleefully welcomed Mr Eales’s selection, writing on Twitter that it was ‘fantastic news’. Later today, he is expected to be elected to the party’s ruling national executive committee, along with two other hard-Left activists.

Mr Lansman admitted that his Momentum activists have unsettled many Labour MPs and candidates, who fear they could be deselected.

He told BBC Radio 5 Live: ‘I think what has happened with the election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader... is that the Labour Party has changed – and yes, that is unsettling for people.

‘But it has been greatly to the benefit of the Labour Party before those 600,000 people knocked on millions of doors, had millions of conversations with people, their friends at work, next door neighbours and they achieved the best result Labour has had for ages.

‘There’s no reason for any hard-working MP who campaigns hard with their constituents and the members of their local party to feel nervous about anything.’