Labour is in a crisis due to a dispute over choosing a candidate, which is the first major challenge during the campaign.

Keir Starmer has encountered his toughest day yet on the campaign trail. The controversy surrounding the treatment of left-wing Labour candidates, such as Faiza Shaheen and Diane Abbott, is on the verge of causing the party's first major crisis of the General Election campaign.

The drama behind the scenes has now surfaced, as candidates have come forward to reveal that they have been barred from running. Prominent Corbynite Lloyd Russell-Moyle stated that his suspension by Labour HQ was a result of a "vexatious and politically motivated complaint." Meanwhile, Shaheen, who was set to run against former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith, expressed her plans to seek legal advice after being dropped due to her social media posts.

In her post on X, Abbott called out the party for their "appalling" actions and questioned, "Whose clever idea was it to purge left-wingers?" However, leader Sir Keir Starmer denied any such "cull" taking place, stating that he has always aimed for the highest-quality candidates during the selection process.

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The focus of yesterday's controversy revolved around two left-leaning candidates who were blocked from running. Lloyd Russell-Moyle, who made headlines in 2018 for grabbing the ceremonial mace during a Brexit debate, announced his suspension on X at 6 pm. He revealed that he will not be able to retain his seat due to a complaint made by an unknown person, which he believes to be politically motivated. The nature of the complaint, allegedly from eight years ago, has not been disclosed.

Visiting professor at the London School of Economics, Faiza Shaheen, who previously stood for the suburban seat in 2019, also faced deselection. Reports indicated that a dossier of her liked tweets over a span of 10 years, including one from American comedian Jon Stewart about Israel and another accusing Labour of being "institutionally Islamophobic," was the cause of her deselection. Shaheen, who was provisionally selected again for 2022, found out about the decision through the press while campaigning in her constituency.

In an interview on Newsnight, Shaheen expressed her disappointment in the party's handling of the situation, stating that they informed the press before informing her. She also plans to challenge the decision in court and believes that the party has a "palpable problem with black and brown people." The Labour Muslim Network also voiced their disapproval, calling the treatment of Shaheen "unacceptable."

This incident sheds light on Keir Starmer's campaign. In the short term, it has caused another day of the General Election campaign to be overshadowed by internal conflicts within the party. Starmer is eager to shift the focus back to his policy announcements and visits to Wales and Scotland today and tomorrow, respectively. In the long run, the implications are less clear. While it may help Starmer's mission to convince the public that he has transformed the party since the Corbyn years, it also risks sending the message that there is no room for left-leaning individuals in his Labour. Deputy leader Angela Rayner has refuted this notion, stating that the party needs to be a "broad church" to succeed. However, this issue is likely to escalate when the National Executive Committee makes its final decisions on candidates next week.

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