A SELECTION battle for a key Westminster seat has been thrown into disarray after a judge branded aspects of it “irrational” and “wrong in fact and wrong in law”.
The contest to be Scottish Labour’s candidate in Glasgow South West descended into a racism row earlier this month after an internal ruling resulted in around 80 local members – many from ethnic minority backgrounds – not being eligible to vote.
Asim Khan, one of the would-be candidates for the seat, took the party to court after dozens of Labour members were denied the chance to have their say following the decision.
READ MORE: Row over aspiring Labour candidate heats up as formal complaint submitted
The row involves the “freeze date” which, one agreed, gives everyone who has been a member for six months a vote on who should represent the area.
Now a judge in the Court of Session has ruled against the party and in favour of Mr Khan, meaning the current process will have to be scrapped and the freeze date shifted.
Speaking after the hearing, Mr Khan said: “I am sorry that it came to this, but sadly this was the only way to give members an open and democratic selection process.
“I hope there are no further malicious attempts to undermine the process and that we can now move on to having an open contest so we can select the candidate best placed to help deliver a Labour MP and a Labour Government.”
READ MORE: Lawyer who was branded "untruthful" by judge is taking Scottish Labour to court amid race row
It comes just days after it emerged five Asian Labour members had written to UK leader Jeremy Corbyn over the row, claiming they had made to feel "not wanted and not welcome" in the party.
The Herald revealed earlier this week that Mr Khan is also the subject of a formal complaint over claims he failed to tell Labour about a 2016 employment tribunal, in which a judge described him as “evasive” and “untruthful”.
A Scottish Labour spokesman said it accepted the Court of Session ruling and "will not be pursuing this case further".
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