LABOUR has re-selected Warrington North MP Helen Jones to contest the Parliamentary seat at the next General Election in 2015.
The announcement comes only two weeks after the national party imposed tough restrictions on Labour in Warrington, including appointing a senior national officer to act as a single point of contact for all constitutional matters arising in the town.
Eric Wilson, Labour’s senior constitutional officer was also appointed to oversee all matters relating to the selection of candidates for elections and the Warrington North party was instructed to cease to be a delegated 
structure and to hold only all-member meetings.
The national Labour Party also ordered the closure of the Warrington Labour website and its replacement with separate websites for Warrington North and Warrington South constituencies.
Helen Jones (pictured) has been MP for Warrington North since 1997. At the last General Election she had a majority of 6,771 over the Conservatives
In a joint statement the chairman and secretary of Warrington North Labour Party, Graham Friend and Ian Johnson said: “Helen has always stood up for the people of Warrington North over the last 16 years. She has
been an outstanding representative and has never been afraid to tackle the issues that are important to people here.
“We are delighted that she has been overwhelmingly endorsed, with 94 per cent of the vote, to contest the next General Election for Labour.
“Helen will continue to be a tireless campaigner for our town and we are looking forward to working with her if she is re-elected in 2015.”
Ms Jones has been personally congratulated on her re-selection by Labour’s General Secretary Iain McNicol.
She said: “I am honoured to have been reselected and for the kind words offered to me by my party’s General Secretary. I hope that the people of Warrington North will see fit to re-elect me in 2015. If they do, I pledge to continue to do my very best for them both here in Warrington and at Westminster.”
Ms Jones was a senior government whip during the last Labour Government and has served on the Opposition Front Bench under Ed Miliband. She was Shadow Local Government Minister until recently when she was moved to Shadow Home Office Minister under Yvette Cooper.
MP Helen Jones to fight next General Election
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Gary Skentelbery
Experienced journalist for more than 40 years. Managing Director of magazine publishing group with three in-house titles and on-line daily newspaper for Warrington. Experienced writer, photographer, PR consultant and media expert having written for local, regional and national newspapers. Specialties: PR, media, social networking, photographer, networking, advertising, sales, media crisis management. Chair of Warrington Healthwatch Director Warrington Chamber of Commerce Patron Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. Trustee Warrington Disability Partnership. Former Chairman of Warrington Town FC.
4 Comments
After the recent report removing any pretence of local autonomy, I feel sure, that if they hadn't voted for the status quo, Ms Jones would have been imposed on them anyway
No difference here between Labour, Lib Cons and most of our political parties. Party apparatchiks are foisted upon us by the party shakers and movers. We have no say in the matter. Although “choice” is the buzz word with our politicians, it only seems to on offer when they want it to. The only way things will electorally change is if our political establishments adopt yet another American idea – primary elections; where the locals get to vote on the Labour, Lib Con candidate they want to represent them. We have taken board so many American concepts but seem to have baulked at this one, but you don’t have to look far and wonder why.
US Primaries involve voting by party members (as is the case with UK candidate selection) not by the general population.
What you would propose would be the equivalent of holding multiple general elections – one for each party and then one between the selected candidates- absurd.
Not to mention each party having those opposed to it voting for the worst candidate.
Some US Primaries are closed and allow only declared party members to vote. Others are open to the extent they enable all voters to choose which party’s primary they wish to vote in without declaring any party affiliation. To confuse matters a little more, Primaries may be direct or indirect. Direct primaries now used in some form in all American states function as a preliminary election whereby voters decide their party’s candidates. Voters in an indirect primary elect delegates who choose the party’s candidates at a nominating convention.