Croydon (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Local Labour members in Croydon express outrage over what they call a ‘travesty’ of the candidate selection process, demanding greater transparency and fairness.
Following months of obstinate quiet on their choice of candidates for the local elections in Croydon next year, the Labour Party made a forceful announcement on social media last night regarding their choices for nine of the borough’s safest Labour seats.
The choices seem to have been decided in most cases with little to no input from grassroots Labour members.
In a ward where the three “selected” candidates were skillfully manipulated by the all-powerful NEC and Labour’s London region, a disgruntled and irate Croydon Labour member said on a WhatsApp group, “Rowenna Davis: If you want to be Mayor of Croydon, you need to stop this travesty.”
And they also appealed to Croydon West MP, Sarah Jones:
“Take action for justice and for democracy.”
As previously revealed by Inside Croydon, six incumbent council members were prevented from being chosen to run again in the local elections scheduled for May by anonymous NEC (National Executive Committee) officials and regional party leaders.
Black women make up four of those who are prohibited from running for reelection. Of the six, five represent wards that fall under the category of “safe Labour” districts.
In addition to Patsy Cummings in Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, a ward where Labour’s hold on power seems to be waning, the blocked council members are Eunice O’Dame (Bensham Manor ward), Enid Mollyneaux (also Bensham Manor), Sherwan Chowdhury (Broad Green), Alisa Flemming (Norbury Park), and Karen Jewitt (Thornton Heath).
Even some of the candidates for selection are away with their bucket and spades and would not have been able to make a case for their selection at any meeting of members in the ward which we are led to believe they wish to serve, which only serves to highlight how a sham the entire process is. Labour is conducting its phony selection process in August, during the busiest time of year for holidays.
An official from the London region has been sending emails to regular Labour members throughout the borough informing them that they have no reason to attend their short-notice selection meetings.
Since Labour should reclaim all three seats in this ward without Andrew Pelling’s distraction as an independent candidate, Attwater may become Croydon’s youngest councillor in May. One neighbor characterizes Attwater, a Waddon resident who recently completed his degree program at Manchester University, as “a 21-year-old white male with no real-world experience, but a capable donor of Labour leaflets.” When Waddon’s approved candidates were cut to just the necessary three, the ward’s selection meeting was canceled.
Just in case, Davis, the mayoral candidate, is also running as a councillor, just like Jason Perry was in 2022.
Once more, nothing has changed, however only because Graham, a first-term councillor, seems to have been convinced to remain on the ballot after previously faltering due to the demands of her family obligations and public duties. Foster is one of Croydon Labour’s most effective members of the Town Hall Chamber and works in the parliamentary office of Croydon East MP Natasha Irons.
Melanie Felton is one of the “chosen ones” of local activists, a skilled leaflet distributor, and a favorite of high-ranking Labour officials. After being chosen from “the shortest of shortlists,” she was Labour’s losing candidate in the Park Hill and Whitgift by-election last year. She replaces Louis Carserides, a fellow short-term councilor who is stepping down in 2026, on the ballot.
As one well-placed local source said this morning:
“I have little doubt there are shenanigans going on. Why else would they be announcing so many selections at once, when the usual process sees selection results announced in dribs and drabs – if at all – over a period of several weeks?”
Croydon’s second mayoral election and local elections, which will include votes for 70 council members, are scheduled for Thursday, May 7, 2026.
How did the NEC influence the candidate selection in Croydon?
The NEC, along with Labour’s London regional office, selected and approved a shortlist of candidates without input from local members or conducting the usual interview and hiring process. This was done to fast-track the selection for the newly created Croydon East constituency.
Local Constituency Labour Parties (CLPs) and ward branches were largely excluded from the decision-making process. The usual democratic involvement of local members in candidate selection was minimized or ignored, which caused widespread dissatisfaction.
The NEC canceled the planned shortlisting interviews that would have allowed members to evaluate candidates in person, directly influencing the narrowing of the list without proper scrutiny.