The fight to be the Member of Parliament for Liverpool West Derby will be between three people, the ECHO can reveal.
Sitting West Derby MP Ian Byrne is facing a fight to retain his seat, having been 'triggered' by local branches. Mr Byrne was elected to be the Labour MP for the constituency at the 2019 General Election.
When a sitting Labour MP is triggered, it means they are not automatically selected as the candidate for the next General Election and must face a selection battle to retain their candidacy. This is the battle Mr Byrne is now facing.
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Labour previously produced a long-list of candidates who had put their names forward for the position. This included Croxteth Councillor Anthony Lavelle, Hyndburn Councillor Kimberley Whitehead, David Bridson, a councillor in the London Borough of Lambeth and Wirral Councillor Gillian Wood.
Today it has been confirmed that the long-list has become a short-list of just three names. Mr Byrne will now face competition from Cllr Lavelle and Cllr Whitehead in the battle to continue as the Labour candidate for the safe seat of West Derby.
Tweeting about the news, Cllr Lavelle - who will be seen as the major contender for Mr Byrne - said: "It is an absolute honour to be shortlisted and supported by every branch. Thank you to everyone for supporting me every step of the way. The hard work starts now - together we will win here in West Derby."
The three shortlisted candidates will now be invited to a hustings and selection meeting on Sunday, November 20. At this meeting, members of the Liverpool West Derby Constituency Labour Party will vote for who they want to be their Labour candidate and likely Member of Parliament at the next General Election.
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