Exclusive: McDonnell ‘Furious’ After Ex-Corbyn Aide Simon Fletcher Rejected For Safe Seat

Fletcher, Corbyn’s chief of staff before Murphy, now lives in Gateshead with his partner Marie Nixon, a former member of Sunderland’s Kenickie band.

He ran Corbyn and Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard’s and Corbyn’s successful leadership campaigns and held the role of director of campaigns and planning. He has also worked for former leader Ed Miliband and was Ken Livinstone’s chief of staff during his time as London Mayor. 

Ferguson, a member of Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee, meanwhile, is from Gateshead and is a long-standing Unison activist. 

It is also understood members of Jarrow Constituency Labour Party (CLP) are annoyed that Tracey Dixon, deputy leader of the local South Tyneside Council and Margaret Melling, also a local councillor, applied and were rejected. 

Katie Adams, a trainee teacher and Jarrow CLP’s equalities officer, and Maura McEown, a Durham councillor who missed out on the candidacy for the City of Durham seat made the shortlist alongside Osborne. 

It is said the shortlist has been drawn up so as to favour Osborne, with the two other candidates viewed less local. 

The panel is understood to include Unite’s Jayne Taylor, Unite’s Mike Routledge and Aslef’s Mick Whelan, which is thought to give Osborne a clear advantage.