Election: Basingstoke Labour candidate applications close

This comes after the party’s initial candidate David Lawrence resigned from contesting the election on November 18 due to ‘personal reasons’.

The application process, which opened on Thursday, January 18, and closed on Thursday, January 25, saw members of the Basingstoke Labour Party put their names forward to be voted as its representative in the area during the next general election.

As previously reported, Natasa Pantelic, Joshua Garfield and Alex Lee have applied to become the Labour candidate.

READ MORE: Basingstoke Labour opens applications for parliamentary candidate

The Gazette has now learned that two more Labour members – Abdel Ibrahim and Andy McCormick – have submitted their applications.

Natasa Pantelic, who previously served as a Labour councillor for Slough, publicly announced that she will stand for selection along with Joshua Garfield, who is currently a councillor in Stratford.

Basingstoke borough councillors Alex Lee and Andy McCormick, who represent Winklebury and Manydown, and Brighton Hill respectively, announced on social media that they have submitted their applications.

Another borough councillor Abdel Ibrahim confirmed to the Gazette that he has put his name down for the selection.

More people have likely submitted their application to become the Labour candidate, but they haven’t publicly announced it.

Rosalind Bach, Chair of Basingstoke Constituency Labour Party (CLP), said: “Applications have now closed, but I can't share who those applicants are. The applications go straight to the national party.

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“We have to follow the selection process democratically. 

“Basingstoke Labour Party is a great heart of the party whose strength lies within its members, all striving to find the best for people living in Basingstoke.

“For us, the general election cannot come soon enough, the people of Basingstoke deserve better than the Tories.”