Ex-MPs Chris Williamson, Stephen Hepburn And Roger Godsiff Axed As Labour Candidates For General Election

A trio of former MPs have been axed as Labour candidates for the general election.

Chris Williamson, who was accused of anti-Semitism, and Stephen Hepburn, who was facing sexual harassment allegations, had their suspensions upheld by the party’s ruling National Executive Committee at a meeting on Wednesday.

Another former MP, Roger Godsiff, was also barred from standing despite not being suspended, one source said.

Ex-Birmingham Hall Green MP Godsiff had been ‘triggered’ for reselection by his local party after he gave his backing to demonstrators who oppose lessons for young children on same-sex relationships.

It is understood that Labour chief whip Nick Brown recommended Godsiff should not be endorsed by the party.

The fate of veteran former minister Keith Vaz – who was suspended from parliament for seeking drugs for sex workers – remains unresolved. Vaz is currently in hospital and a special panel will make the final decision.

Williamson had come under heavy criticism for downplaying anti-Semitism within the party, after saying Labour had been “too apologetic” in response to criticism.

Nick Lowles, of the Hope Not Hate campaign group, said Williamson had repeatedly been guilty of “trolling the Jewish community”.

“We welcome the NEC’s decision to effectively exclude him from standing as a Labour candidate. It is deeply depressing that this was even a possibility. Chris Williamson has no place in the Labour Party whatsoever,” he said.

The former Derby North MP was first suspended in February but was readmitted with a formal warning following a hearing of an NEC anti-Semitism panel in June. But the resulting outcry led to him being suspended again. 

The Jewish Labour Movement welcomed the news but said it did not mean that Labour’s handling of anti-Semitism cases had been vindicated.