A Labour parliamentary selection contest in London is being investigated by the police over allegations of “computer misuse” after a suspected data breach.
The party’s selection process in the new Croydon East constituency was suspended last year amid complaints that local members’ data provided to some candidates was inaccurate.
Labour said last week that the process had resumed, after its own internal investigation found that some of personal details of members in the constituency had been altered on a membership database without authorisation.
The Metropolitan police said on Tuesday that its cybercrime team was conducting inquiries.
A spokesperson for the force said: “We have received allegations of computer misuse in relation to an internal selection process for a political party in Croydon during October and November last year.”
The latest development comes after one of the candidates in the contest withdrew last week, claiming that he had suffered “distressing level of abuse”.
Joel Bodmer, an organiser with the trade union Unison, said in a statement posted online: “I do not want to expose myself or my family to the distressing level of abuse that arose from some quarters during the original selection campaign.
“My personal circumstances are now very different from when I put myself forward for Croydon East in the summer of 2023 and I do not currently have the emotional energy required for this contest.”
Three other shortlisted candidates remain in the race – Natasha Irons, Olga Fitzroy and Johnson Situ – all of whom expressed support on social media for Bodmer’s decision.
Labour declined to comment while a police investigation is ongoing, but the resumed selection process is continuing. Email ballots have already been issued and in-person by members is due to take place this weekend.
A spokesperson for the party said in a statement issued last week: “The Labour party takes the protection of personal information and the rights of Labour party members very seriously, which is why there has been a thorough investigation into the selection process in Croydon East and all members affected have been written to with the outcome of the investigation”
The grassroots Labour campaign group, Momentum, described news of the police investigation as alarming, and asked what safeguards had been put in place to stop similar incidents.
“This is an alarming development which raises serious around Labour’s selection processes,” a spokesperson added.
Labour’s investigation found that no sensitive personal data, such as financial data, had been affected by the incident, but that some members may not have received all Labour party communications sent during the period.
Email ballots in the context have already been issued and in-person by members is due to take place this weekend.
The Information Commissioner’s Office, which oversees data protection and information rights, has also been making inquiries after it was contacted by the Labour party.
An ICO spokesperson said: “Organisations have a responsibility to ensure the data they process is accurate. The Labour party has made us aware of this incident and we are making inquiries.”
