Ellman becomes not only the second Jewish MP to be driven out of Labour, but the second Jewish female MP to be driven out of the party in Liverpool. Luciana Berger was subjected to immense pressure and abuse to the extent that she attended the 2018 party conference under a police escort. She will stand for the Liberal Democrats at the next election, but in London.
Anti-Semitism asides, there does appear to be a pattern emerging on Merseyside. Ellman was facing a so-called 'trigger ballot' in which she was being forced to fight for her seat in a reselection process. She had previously made complaints about an influx of hard left Momentum activists into her local CLP (Constituency Labour Party) and was clearly not guaranteed to win the ballot. Berger would undoubtedly be facing the same process now, if she had stayed in the party. Another who would have been facing the process was Frank Field, MP for Birkenhead. He quit Labour last year after being targeted by activists over his support for Brexit. A vote of no confidence was held by his CLP a month prior to his resignation, albeit this was non-binding. A fourth MP on Merseyside, Blairite Stephen Twigg, has announced he is standing down at the next election.
It is the selection process for Twigg's seat that is currently creating lots of fuss in Liverpool Labour. A popular local councillor has been snubbed, while at the same time various potential candidates from around the country have made it onto the shortlist, including a councillor all the way from Islington no less. A coincidence or the hand of Corbyn and his enforcers?
Merseyside has clearly been singled out for Momentum's purge and it's no surprise as to why. The region includes some of the safest Labour seats in the country, four of which are in the top ten safest seats of any party - including Ellman and Twigg's. Therefore, it's prime territory to install your most loyal comrades. It's a despotic shame that four rebels have fallen to make way for the Soviets, but that's the nature of the beast unleashed by the rise of Corbyn.
Louise Ellman's resignation letter can be seen below (click to enlarge).
