Row over Labour 'stitch-up' claims in Liverpool

The Labour party is selecting new candidates after Louise Ellman and Luciana Berger quit the party and Stephen Twigg decided not to seek reselection

A row has erupted over claims the Labour Party is "denying members their democratic rights" while selecting prospective MPs in Liverpool.

New candidates are being selected for Wavertree, Riverside and West Derby after two of the city's MPs quit and a third decided not to seek reselection.

Party members have complained that "hard-working" councillors have been overlooked in the selection process.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has rejected claims of a "stitch-up".

At a rally in Liverpool on Saturday, Mr Corbyn was asked if he was concerned that some of the local Labour party's most loyal servants were being ignored.

He responded: "I am not involved in the short-listing. I want to make sure there is a reasonable range of opinions that are available there for local members to vote on who their candidate should be".

Labour candidates are being sought in Wavertree and Riverside after sitting MPs Luciana Berger and Dame Louise Ellman - who are both Jewish - quit the party following allegations of anti-Semitism.

• A guide to Labour anti-Semitism claims

MP Stephen Twigg also announced in July he will not defend his seat in West Derby.

But the ongoing selection process has ignited criticism from some party members.

'An outrage'

In West Derby, more than 100 members have signed a letter to the party's General Secretary to complain after councillor Nick Crofts was left off the long list.

"The exclusion of such a capable local activist is nothing short of an outrage," the letter read.

"We are not asking for special treatment; only to be treated fairly.

"That means a long list (and shortlist) that properly gives local members a real choice of the best available candidates."

Analysis: Claire Hamilton, BBC Merseyside political correspondent

The process has ignited an internal battle between different factions within the Liverpool Labour Party.

All three seats have Labour majorities, meaning the selected candidate is likely to be the next MP for their area.

Labour selections are often combative and controversial. There have been claims of candidates being "parachuted in" for decades but these contests are particularly interesting and have exposed rifts even in the left wing of the party locally.

They also highlight the manoeuvres and backstage politics way before the general public have their say.

In Wavertree, council cabinet member Liz Parsons, who failed to make the shortlist, published an open letter on Twitter to the party claiming trade unions and Momentum had too much influence in the selection process.

"People need to demand their democratic rights to select their candidate and keep calling this out for what it is, a stitch up," she said.

In Riverside, a Wirral councillor, who was temporarily suspended over allegations of anti-Semitism earlier this year, has confirmed she will be standing for the seat.

Jo Bird, who is Jewish, was suspended by the Labour Party in March but was reinstated nine days later.

She later apologised for a "play on words" after referring to "Jew process" during an anti-racism speech adding it was never her intention to cause offence.

Malcolm Kennedy, a Labour councillor in Riverside, said: "For her to be selected would be an outrage."

The BBC understands the selection process will conclude on 3 November.