Party’s challenger to Sturgeon de-selected in favour of new shortlist

LABOUR’S plans to challenge Nicola Sturgeon in next year’s Scottish election are in disarray after it scrapped the contest to select its candidate over concerns about the current shortlist.

Party members across Glasgow have been told applications have re-opened for the selection of its contender for the city’s South Side seat, just days after revelations of the frontrunner’s business affairs and the withdrawal of another potential candidate from the race.

In an e-mail bemoaning the shortlist of candidates for what will be Scotland’s highest profile constituency contest next May, Labour’s national executive said it “did not reflect the aspirations of the Labour Party in respect of diversity”.

Hanif Raja, a Glasgow councillor since 2012 and failed candidate on previous occasions, had been expected to win the selection.

Mr Raja has the backing of the Sarwar dynasty and while it has been widely accepted that taking on the First Minister in her backyard was one of the toughest jobs in Scotland, his selection has been pitched as Labour’s attempt at a comeback in the area via the Asian community.

But in the past week it emerged one of his businesses is to be shut down over repeated failures to file annual accounts, while some in Labour have only become aware of a previous debt to the city council of £18,000 on the back of the revelations.

Mr Raja’s main challenger for the nomination, another city councillor, Fariah Thomas, has also recently pulled out of the race.

In an e-mail from the secretary of Labour’s Glasgow branch, members have been told that hustings planned for Wednesday have been scrapped and a new trawl is underway for fresh candidates.

It states: “It has been agreed that the shortlist of candidates does not reflect the diversity aspirations of the Labour Party.

“For this reason the Scottish Executive Committee has decided to re-open the application process and has set a new deadline of November 23.

“This will allow time to attract a more diverse, gender and ethnic mix for members to choose from.”

The move means with just six months to go Labour has yet to find candidates for three Glasgow constituencies – Shettleston, South Side and Kelvin.