Neath MP Christina Rees banned from election selection

Christina Rees has been sitting in Commons as an independent since being suspended by Labour in October 2022

A former shadow Welsh Secretary has been prevented from seeking selection to be the Labour candidate for the new constituency of Neath and Swansea East.

Neath MP Christina Rees was barred from standing due to her suspension from the party over allegations of bullying staff, BBC Wales has been told.

The current MP for Swansea East, Carolyn Harris, was selected unopposed to fight the next general election.

Ms Harris said she was "delighted" and Ms Rees has been asked to comment.

At the next general election the number of Welsh MPs will be cut from 40 to 32 following a UK-wide review of the electoral map.

The changes mean some sitting MPs from the same party will have to go head-to-head in selection contests.

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It was confirmed last month the current Labour MP for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney Gerald Jones had been selected ahead of his colleague Beth Winter - the serving MP for Cynon Valley - in the race to be selected as the Labour candidate for the new seat of Merthyr Tydfil and Upper Cynon.

Neath and Swansea East is another new constituency where it was thought there could have been similar contest.

However, given she remains suspended by Labour having first lost the party whip in October 2022, Ms Rees was deemed ineligible to stand for selection by the party.

MP for Swansea East, Carolyn Harris, will run for Labour in the new seat of Neath and Swansea East at the next general election

She has been the MP for Neath since 2015, when she succeeded Peter Hain and sat on the Labour front bench during Jeremy Corbyn's leadership, serving as the shadow Secretary of State for Wales between 2017 and 2020.

She currently sits as an independent MP and has previously said she was "cooperating" with the investigation into the allegations made against her.

Ms Harris, who has represented Swansea East since 2015 and is the deputy leader of Welsh Labour, said she was "delighted to be the candidate for the new seat of Neath and Swansea East".