ALL three shortlisted candidates in the Labour party parliamentary selection process for the Whitehaven and Workington seat have expressed sympathy with 200 party members in Workington who have been ‘excluded’ from the process.

In responses circulated to party members following a letter sent to candidates from Workington CLP secretary asking them to show ‘solidarity’ with the 200 excluded members from Workington, all candidates - Markus Campbell-Savours, Thomas Docherty and Josh MacAlister - said they understood the feeling of the party members, with one even describing it as a low point for the party locally.

In the letter, the constituency secretary said: “Congratulations on reaching the short list. No doubt you are looking forward to the hustings.

“Unfortunately, nearly 200 party members in the constituency you hope to represent are not able to look forward to those hustings.

"As you know, they are excluded from the process, even though the Boundary Commission is due to report in a matter of days.

“We therefore appeal to you, as an expression of democratic socialist solidarity, to help us in Workington CLP, urge the party to allow those nearly two hundred members to exercise their democratic rights by taking part in the hustings.”

In responses seen by the News & Star, the candidates have all expressed sympathy, with one candidate, Markus Campbell-Savours, suggesting that all three collectivly withdraw from the race until the issue is resolved.

Mr Campbell-Savours said that he ‘deeply regrets’ the decision of the Labour Party's national executive, calling it ‘a low point in the history of our local party’.

He said: “This is a community which has been an integral part of my life, which I feel close to and which I love.

“However, Workington's members require more than words of solidarity. They need us to resolve these difficulties.”

Mr Campbell-Savours suggested that all three candidates collectively withdrew from the process and requested a pause until after the boundary change is approved at the beginning of July.

"If all three candidates collectively withdrew from the process and requested a pause until after the boundary change is approved at the beginning of July, we could end the division, bring the parties together and end the rancour," he wrote.

"This is my offer of solidarity. The other candidates can tell you if they agree to this approach."

Another candidate, Thomas Docherty, said it was ‘extremely disappointing’ that members in Workington are being excluded.

He said: “Understandably they are very angry, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand why. I hope that we can find a way to heal the wounds that have been inflicted on Labour Party members during this process.”

Josh MacAlister said he ‘didn’t see what more we can do at this stage’.

He said: “I know members from both Copeland and Workington have and will continue to make their feelings known to the party’s top brass and I’ve made my disappointment known also.

“There’s been far too much internal division, we need to turn our fire on the real target."

He also said he was ‘surprised’ by the announcement that the selection would take place on the existing Copeland boundaries and said that the selection should have taken place on the new boundaries.

"The misalignment between current and future constituencies has been a problem for members across Cumbria," he added. "Those in Millom didn’t get a vote in the selection of their eventual candidate and members in Brampton were in a similar situation now facing Workington when the Carlisle selection took place."