Welsh all-women shortlists

Labour party plans for all-women shortlists in half of its Welsh target seats have been published by a left wing website.

Labour's plans for Westminster targets

by Nick Powell

The left wing website Labour List says the Labour party has decided that four of the eight Welsh seats considered general election targets will only consider applications from women to be candidates for Westminster. The process is intended to increase the number of female MPs.

Six Welsh seats held by other parties have been excluded at this stage. That's because Labour doesn't currently classify them as winnable, although the Shadow Welsh Secretary, Owen Smith, has said that Clwyd West, held by the Secretary of State, David Jones, could also be targeted.

  • ALL WOMEN SHORTLISTS
  • Aberconwy (Conservative majority 3,398)
  • Cardiff Central (Liberal Democrat majority 4,576)
  • Cardiff North (Conservative majority 194)
  • Carmarthen West & South Pembs (Conservative majority 3,423)
  • OPEN SHORTLISTS
  • Arfon (Plaid Cymru majority 1,455)
  • Carmarthen East & Dinefwr (Plaid Cymru majority 3,481)
  • Preseli Pembrokeshire (Conservative majority 4,605)
  • Vale of Glamorgan (Conservative majority 4,307)

Today the party’s powerful Organisation Sub-committee of the National Executive Committee (more commonly known as Org Sub) agreed which target seats will be “Open selections” (where all members can apply) and which will be All-women shortlists. All recommendations must go forward to the next full NEC – but it’s unlikely we’ll see any significant changes now that the Org Sub wrangling is over.

– Labour List

All women shortlists have led to problems for Labour in the past, most notably in Blaenau Gwent where the late Peter Law stood as an independent. He defeated a female candidate that some local activists felt had been imposed by the party machine. Labour regained the seat at the last election.