Croydon (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Labour’s Croydon mayoral candidate selection ends tomorrow using the online Anonyvoter system, without holding any in-person selection meetings.
The London region office of the party is in charge of all aspects of the process, including tomorrow night’s virtual hustings, where the candidates will undoubtedly go into great detail about their plans for a Croydon air show or elaborate on their work in the charity sector. Croydon Labour is not being trusted to organize any of these events.
Members have yet to receive confirmation on how they will cast their ballots for their preferred candidate, a procedure that is expected to be finished by Easter.
At one point, it appeared that Labour would limit the selection process to email voting, excluding any members who are not easily accessible online or who cannot afford internet service.
Although it hasn’t been confirmed, Labour appears to have changed its mind about permitting voting by mail.
However, the party is still determined to use the dubious Anonyvoter online method, which has already landed Labour in deep water in Croydon, where the Metropolitan Police is still investigating allegations of fraud in the selection of a parliamentary candidate for Croydon East.
However, London Labour is not taking any chances by having its members meet in person to exchange notes or discuss how the party is being handled.
Tomorrow evening will be the only chance for the general public to ask prospective mayoral candidates any questions they may have concerning their qualifications.
And if you have anything planned, woe betide you. This email was given to members just yesterday by an organizer for the London region.
“We are pleased to invite you to the Croydon Mayoral hustings event on Wednesday, 9th April, starting at 7pm. This event will be held on Zoom, and we would be delighted to have you join us.” Which is nice.
This hustings is a unique opportunity for you to listen to the candidates as they present their plans and answer questions on their visions for Croydon.” For “unique”, read “only”.
Please follow the link below to register for the event. You will then be sent the login in details for the event closer to the time… We look forward to seeing you there!”
In order to concentrate on her mayoral campaign, a first-term Labour councillor for Waddon ward resigned from her position as chair of Croydon Council’s scrutiny committee. By comparing herself to successful Labour mayors like Andy Burnham, she has established herself as a strong and skilled leader.
Although there is less information available about her campaign strategy, another Labour councillor is running for office.
With the election just over a year away, Labour officials point out that the selection process started only lately, drawing criticism for its sluggish speed.
Candidates and members have expressed frustration with Labour’s regional executives, who have been characterized as “glacially slow” in their process organization.
The email invitation was signed off with the words “Best wishes, London Labour,” as if to add insult to injury because Croydon Labour is still on the naughty step nearly five years after Tony Newman and his Numpties, including Shahul-Hameed, bankrupted the borough.
On Thursday, May 7, 2026, Croydon will have its local elections, which will include the borough’s second mayoral election as well as the election of 70 council members from 28 wards.
Why hasn’t Labour held an in-person selection meeting for the Croydon Mayor candidate?
Croydon Labour is still subject to “special measures” because of the 2020 financial collapse of the council.
This implies that local decision-making authority is restricted and that important procedures, such as the selection of candidates, are frequently supervised by national or regional authorities.
Officials from Croydon Labour are not trusted to run the selection process on their own. Past scandals and financial mismanagement have caused this mistrust, which has resulted in external scrutiny by regional officials and Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC).
The lack of in-person meetings may have been caused in part by the selection process’s considerable delay.
It was anticipated that the procedure would be finished by Easter, providing Jason Perry, the Conservative candidate, with a significant advantage in the campaign.
