A south west London Labour supporter has expressed his disbelief at being barred from voting in the leadership contest, as the party aims to unearth ‘fake’ supporters.
Lambeth web editor Jason Cobb, who has been involved in the Labour movement for more than thirty years, received an email today rejecting his membership application claiming he doesn’t ‘support the aims and values of the Labour Party’.
Mr Cobb believes this is part of a ‘Labour purge’ to expel anyone who doesn’t agree with the party status quo.
The rejection email read: “We have reason to believe that you do not support the aims and values of the Labour Party or you are a supporter of an organisation opposed to the Labour Party and therefore we are rejecting your application.
“Although you may have received or may still receive a ballot paper, it will not work and if you do vote it will not be counted.
“Should you wish to dispute rejection by the Labour Party you would have to submit and pursue an application to join Labour as a full member.”
Mr Cobb, who supported the party during the wilderness years of the 80s and early 90s, admits his Labour values ‘didn’t appear to chime’ with Tony Blair’s but continued to support the party by name if not by membership.
He detailed in a blog that he was interested in what Jeremy Corbyn had to offer as a potential leader, and also what Christian Wolmar would bring to the London mayoral election race.
He wrote: “For a party that was rejected on a mass scale at the ballot box only three months ago, you would have hoped that a Labour value is something different to what the dogmatic party machine has been pushing out for the past couple of decades.”
Mr Cobb’s MP Kate Hoey took to Twitter claiming his rejection was ‘ridiculous’.
Ridiculous to rule someone out of a Leadership vote just because some Councillors don’t like their blogs @Jason_Cobb @VauxhallLabour
— Kate Hoey (@KateHoeyMP) August 20, 2015
Image courtesy of BBC via YouTube, with thanks
