Cheshire-based solicitor Rebecca Long-Bailey was finally crowned as Labour Party candidate for the almost safe Salford and Eccles seat, replacing Hazel Blears who has decided to stand down at the next General Election.
Rebecca Long-Bailey was backed by Salford's Labour Party establishment which included Mayor Ian Stewart, former Council Leader John Merry and the Unite trade union - while she was also supported by Stockport tv pundit and journalist Owen Jones, who has publicly opposed many of Salford Labour Council's cuts policies.
Long-Bailey was elected, the Salford Star understands, with less than two hundred votes – or by around 0.1% of the total Salford electorate. She beat the other candidates, Sue Pugh and Sophie Taylor, in a ballot yesterday afternoon with under three hundred Labour Party members taking part.
It was the culmination of a bitter selection process which saw the husband of another candidate, Sarah Brookes, send solicitors letters to Labour Party chiefs questioning the local Party's integrity, after she was kicked out of the running despite receiving as many nominations as Sue Pugh and four times as many as Sophie Taylor (see previous Salford Star article – click here).
The selection process also saw the resignation of Matt Finnegan, Salford Council's `politically restricted' Head of Communications, after a Salford Star article showing him pushing emails to the local press promoting Rebecca Long-Bailey in the race to replace Hazel Blears (see here and see here).
In a Salford Star survey of all candidates during the selection process, certain assurances were sought about their intentions towards the city if they were elected MP (see full survey here).
Rebecca Long-Bailey guaranteed to live in the constituency, said she'd have no problem committing 1% of her salary to good causes and agreed to be held accountable to the local press…
"Accountability is the cornerstone of democracy and I intend to use every means to uphold the right of constituents to hold their Member of Parliament to account" she wrote.
Meanwhile, on fracking, Long-Bailey explained: "I am sceptical about fracking and I am also worried about the energy polices coming from central government. I would work with concerned constituents to oppose further fracking should central government decide to grant licenses to frack against the clear wishes of this constituency."
Finally, the Salford Star asked candidates if they would `guarantee to publicly oppose or stand up to the elected City Mayor on behalf of constituents if need be?'
"I would stand up to anyone if it is in the interests of my constituents and the City of Salford" Long-Bailey replied "We need to recognise some of the great work done by Salford City Council while also recognising its failings and limitations.
"Sadly, as a direct result of the Tory led coalition's harsh austerity measures, limitations are not just specific to Salford but are found across local government in Britain today" she added "I want to work in partnership with Councillors, the City Mayor, trade unions, faith organisations, charitable groups and the wider community to work through areas of concern and hopefully find resolutions for many of the complex issues affecting the constituents of Salford and Eccles."
The General Election is in May 2015.
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