Sam Tarry: why has MP lost Ilford South seat, how does deselection work, and is he dating Angela Rayner?

Former Labour shadow minister Sam Tarry has been deselected as an MP by party members in his constituency.

After a heated campaign battle in the safe Labour Party seat of Ilford South, “utterly crestfallen” Tarry lost out to challenger Jas Athwal, Redbridge Council leader, by 499 votes to 361. This means Tarry will not stand as Ilford South’s Labour councillor at the next general election.

The deselection, which is the first of a Labour MP for more than a decade, comes just a couple months after the former shadow transport minister was sacked from Labour’s front bench. Leader Sir Keir Starmer said the dismissal was down to remarks in interviews he conducted on RMT picket lines about pay inflation that were not party policy.

Athwal, who will now go forward as Labour’s candidate at the next general election, previously ran to stand in Ilford South in 2019, before he was suspended by the party over a sexual harassment allegation the night before the vote. Athwal was later fully cleared, but during his suspension, Tarry - who was close to the then leader Jeremy Corbyn - won selection and was elected as an MP with a majority of more than 24,000.

The circumstances of the selection process in 2019 reportedly led to a split and a fair deal of friction in the constituency party. At the time, Wes Streeting, the Labour MP in neighbouring Ilford North, described it as an “undemocratic stitch up”.

But what exactly does it mean to be deselected, how and why has this happened to Tarry, and what has been said so far? Here’s what you need to know.

What is deselection - and how does it work?

Deselection is the process through which support for an MP is withdrawn by their local party, meaning the MP is no longer able to stand for the party in a forthcoming general election. Momentum, a group set up to support Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, previously voted to make deselection easier at the 2018 Labour Party Conference.

In order for deselection to take place, constituency branches need to vote to trigger reselection proceedings. With regard to Tarry, every local branch in the Ilford South constituency voted to do so.

Constituents then choose between the sitting MP and the challenger. Athwal came out on top with 499 votes, while Tarry lost the battle for his seat with just 361 votes.

Why has Tarry been deselected?

It is rare for a sitting MP to be de-selected by their local party, so this marks quite a significant moment in Labour Party politics. In fact, only five Labour MPs, including Tarry, have been deselected in the past 20 years.

Tarry’s deselection comes a few months after he was fired as shadow transport minister. This was due to the MP, who is in a relationship with Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner, giving broadcast interviews from an RMT picket line amidst the rail union’s long-running strikes over pay and working conditions.

Starmer said Tarry had lost his role for “making up policy on the hoof” and doing unauthorised interviews that did not represent party policy. So many believe the deselection is likely linked to Tarry’s ‘rebellion’ against his party leader, as Starmer had made clear that those in Government “should not attend picket lines”. At the time, Labour MP Ian Lavery criticised the sacking of Tarry, saying the party was putting its links with the trade union movement at risk and arguing the party must do more to show it is “on the side of working people.”

Others meanwhile have other opinions on why the deselection took place. Tarry was a key ally of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, and successfully ran his leadership campaign - despite facing backlash for saying antisemitism was being exploited to smear Corbyn.

Some have said then that Tarry’s ousting is an attempt to purge the party of its especially left wing MPs - or those that align more closely with Corbyn’s party politics.

What has the reaction been?

Tarry has said he is “utterly crestfallen” at the result in Ilford South last night (10 October), and has demanded further details about the vote which led to his deselection as a candidate. He even called the vote a “manufactured political circus”.

He told the LabourList website immediately after his defeat: “I’m incredibly disappointed in this result, mostly for all my committed volunteers and the wonderful people of Ilford South.’’ Then, in a further statement this morning (11 October), Tarry has said he is “extremely concerned” by the result as it does not reflect the “meticulous data” his campaign team gathered. This comes after he described himself as “very humbled and excited” ahead of the vote on Monday.

Tarry added: “I am taking some time to consider what’s next, but in order to be assured of the integrity of the result I am asking the party to share with me the full information of who cast electronic votes, by what method, and when they were cast.”

Athwal meanwhile has said it is a "real honour" to be selected. Speaking to the press after his victory, he commented: "Ilford is my home, it is where I live, went to school and where my children all went to school. It is the only place I would ever want to represent. Today means Ilford can focus on the future and ensure that Westminster delivers for Ilford, that Ilford gets the investment it needs and deserves."

Wes Streeting, the party’s shadow health secretary and MP for Ilford North, was among the first to offer congratulations to Athwal. He praised his “resounding victory”, which he said reflects his lifelong commitment to the borough and “his outstanding leadership for Redbridge Labour.”

He remarked: “Jas will be a superb representative for Ilford South. His is an Ilford story – the boy who came from the Punjab and built an education, successful businesses, and a wonderful family here. He’s led Redbridge Labour to three unprecedented victories because he’s a local resident who fights as hard for our community as he would for his own family. I look forward to working with Jas as Ilford South’s next Labour MP.”