Josh MacAlister selected as parliamentary candidate by Copeland Labour

Josh MacAlister, a former teacher and charity worker, was selected over Markus Campbell Savours to stand as the candidate for the new Whitehaven and Workington constituency.

Proposed boundary changes would see several wards from the current Workington constituency combined with a larger proportion of Copeland constituency to create the new seat.

But the selection contest has been handled on current Copeland boundaries rather than the new seat’s boundaries.

Workington Labour members gathered in protest outside Cleator Moor Civic Hall during the ballot on Saturday morning – despite being warned by the national Labour Party that a demonstration would be against party membership rules.

Workington Labour Party members protest outside Cleator Moor Civic Hall (Image: Newsquest)

Tensions were already running high among party members after the entire committee of Copeland’s Labour group resigned over long-serving Copeland Constituency Labour Party secretary, Joseph Ghayouba being kept off the longlist of parliamentary candidates.

Tony Lywood, Labour’s 2019 Parliamentary Candidate for Copeland, said: “From my point of view this selection, far from a triumph of local democracy, was a farce and a nonsense.

“By excluding the Workington members and Cllr Joseph Ghayouba, Mr MacAllister has no legitimacy as Labour’s candidate. The whole process has achieved nothing except division.

“The exclusion from voting of entire Workington wards and then imposing a candidate on them is utterly indefensible.

“I call on Mr MacAlister to resign and restand when the Constituency Labour Parties are conjoined and have a proper local democratic vote with a broad spectrum of candidates.”

Speaking after his selection, Mr MacAlister said: “It is the honour of a lifetime to be selected by local members here in Copeland. Cumbria is my home. My family and I live here, I got married here, and I volunteer for the Mountain Rescue here.

“In me, Labour has someone who understands the communities of West Cumbria, someone who understands the issues that matter to them most and importantly, someone who will listen to their concerns.

"From farming to fishing, from tourism to nuclear energy, from our towns to our villages, I will be an MP for all of our communities.

“The Tories are holding West Cumbria back. Families here are struggling, with rising energy bills, stagnating wages and an NHS at breaking point.

“We need an MP and a Government that works for all of us, not just those at the top. I will be working every second from now, out on the doors, listening to local people and making sure their voices are heard.”

Before his selection, Mr MacAlister had criticised party members for 'attempting to derail' the selection process and said that members taking part in protests were ‘undermining the Labour Party’.