Yahoo News County Durham councillors leave Labour over party candidate days before election
Two councillors in County Durham have left Labour in protest at one of the party’s parliamentary candidates for the region.
The selection of Luke Akehurst to stand in North Durham has proved divisive for some members who feel they cannot support him due to his pro-Israeli views.
Durham County Councillors Angela Hanson and Sam McMahon, who also sit on Stanley Town Council, plan to continue serving as independent members.
They also say Mr Akehurst, 52, who lives in Oxfordshire, has been ‘parachuted’ in and has no connection with the constituency covering Stanley and Chester-le-Street.
He did not attend a hustings event in Lanchester at the weekend.
Councillor Angela Hanson (Image: Contributor) In a public post on social media Cllr Hanson said: “My decision to resign wasn’t taken lightly but I felt I could not with a clear conscience continue as a Labour member and support Luke Akehurst as our candidate for MP.
“This man has been parachuted in from Oxfordshire and had never set foot in North Durham until after he was selected.”
Mr Akehurst, who is not Jewish, but is a committed Zionist, has worked as the director of We Believe In Israel and defended its actions in Gaza as ‘proportionate’.
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His views have proved controversial and attracted demonstrations from pro-Palestine groups during the campaign.
He sits on the National Executive Committee, is helping to select candidates for the coming election.
Ms Hanson said: “He has been a lobbyist for Israel for a number of years and has some appalling views about Palestine.
“There were good local candidates who could have done a great job for North Durham and would have understood the local area and the needs of the people.
“I feel that the Labour Party has shown complete contempt for the people of North Durham by dumping this man on us without any consultation and I would urge everyone to think long and hard before voting for this man.”
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Councillor Sam McMahon (Image: Contributor) Cllr McMahon said local members were not given a chance to select their own candidate and Mr Akehurst has been ‘forced’ on them by Labour HQ.
He said: “He has no connection to North Durham and lives in Oxford.
“I attended a meeting where local Labour members were given the chance to meet Mr Akehurst for the first time, I did not find his answers to my questions about why he was parachuted in by the national party, nor his controversial stance on the situation in Israel-Palestine, to be satisfactory and therefore I have chosen to resign from the Labour Party.
“I cannot in good conscience campaign or vote for Mr Akehurst and I am highly disappointed that the national party chose to parachute in a candidate rather than allowing the members to choose a good local voice to represent North Durham.”
The seat has been held by Labour stalwart Kevan Jones since 2001.
When the General Election date was announced for July 4, Mr Jones announced he would be standing down on for health reasons.
Kevan Jones and Luke Akehurst (Image: Contributor)
He said Mr Akehurst has his full support.
Mr Jones said: “He will do the job different to the way I have done it and that is to be expected as I did it different from my predecessor.
“I always say to people he is a strong candidate, is working hard, and is committed to the community.
“I was not from the area originally. I was born in South Yorkshire. What he will do is get out and meet people but this is not a seat we can take for granted.”
A Labour Spokesperson said: "Luke Akehurst is running an outward looking, voter focussed campaign and has spoken to thousands of people across North Durham since the election was called. Only a vote for Labour on 4 July is a vote for the change the country needs."
