MPs re-selected to stand unopposed

Two Sunderland MPs have been re-selected to stand unopposed by other Labour Party candidates at the next General Election.

Labour Party members are in the process of voting in a trigger ballot to determine whether the MP can be challenged by rival candidates in the party ahead of the next General Election.

Results have started to emerge following ballots across the country and both Bridget Phillipson, MP for Houghton and Sunderland South, and Julie Elliott, MP for Sunder landCentral, have been re-selected by the party, according to the Labour First Twitter account.

Initial ballots are believed to be underway forWashington and Sunderland West MP Sharon Hodgson and South Shields MP Emma Lewell Buck, but the results are yet to be announced.

Re-selection results are expected up until Friday.

How does there-selection process work?

The current MPs need to gain the backing of around two-thirds of constituency wards and affiliate branches to ensure they stand unopposed. Failure to reach this threshold is likely to lead to a full selection battle.

What has the Labour Party said about the re-selection? A Labour source said: “It is the democratic process by which Labour Party members have their say.

“Even the leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has to go through a trigger ballot.

“It is a question of whether we wave them through or whether we subject them to wider scrutiny. If they fail to hit the threshold then a full process of meetings and ballots takes place.”