A Merseyside councillor claims to have been suspended for "retweeting" two tweets relating to Jeremy Corbyn.
Janis Blackburne, a Labour councillor for Kew in Southport, said she was told about her suspension on Friday, just one day after she submitted her nomination papers. The 70-year-old councillor has now spoken out about her anger towards the party for suspending her six months after the original notice that the party were looking into the tweets.
The retired teacher is now set to step down from her position in May, despite suggestions from others that she should run as an independent candidate. Speaking to the ECHO, she voiced her opinion about the suspension.
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Cllr Blackburne told the ECHO: "On Friday at 5pm I got an email from the national party saying I've been suspended for six months. I'm not allowed to campaign, go to meetings, stand for anything or do anything.
"The day before, Thursday March 31, I'd handed in my nomination papers. I was told I could stand as a Labour candidate but I couldn't campaign and no one else could campaign for me in any form.
"The timing couldn't have been any worse and I was left in this weird limbo. I didn't know what to do at first and I thought 'I'll be awkward and I'll stand' because I've been a councillor for four years, I have a track record, I've been handing out leaflets and I've been campaigning since mid-January with groups of people.
"I was going to do that but it upset some people because it meant we might lose the seat and in Southport, it's not easy to get votes. People in Southport are not naturally Labour."
Cllr Blackburne was named the first Labour councillor to be elected in Southport since the historic boundary changes in 1974 with her appointment in Kew in 2018.
She described the situation as "unjust". Holding back her tears, she said: "I'm angry and I feel it's very unjust. Every time I talk about it I get upset. I've put a lot of work into it as a councillor and a campaigner. I feel like it's all been thrown on the scrap heap."
A Labour party spokesperson said: “We cannot comment on individual cases. Any complaints received by the party are investigated in line with our rules and procedures.”
