City councillor and cabinet member John Jordan deselected from Bitterne seat

Southampton City Council cabinet member John Jordan says odds were deliberately stacked against him in the selection battle for Bitterne.

Councillor Jordan lost the vote, by local Labour members, 11-0 to Momentum-backed candidate Andy Frampton and will now step down from his seat when it comes up for election in May.

Unite worker Mr Frampton will replace him as Labour’s candidate.

Councillor Jordan, who has held the seat for Labour since 2015, has since hit out at party officials and accused members of deselecting him for “factional reasons”.

Cllr John Jordan.

The Labour councillor said he had been told standing candidates would be automatically shortlisted for selection in their seat, but was not shortlisted by his local party and therefore missed the nominations process.

He said: “When I tried to fight this, on the basis that I had been given incorrect information, I was told that new rules had been followed, there was no process of appeal, and that I was therefore deselected.

“A number of local Southampton Labour party members then took up the fight on my behalf.

“This took some time, but the regional authorities eventually ruled that the shortlisting meeting should be re-run in order to ensure a full and fair process.

“However, my local party refused to do this and said I should be added on the shortlistand the selection meeting should go ahead as planned.

“The Regional staff then spinelessly backtracked on their own ruling, and agreed with this.

“At that stage I decided to take no further part in an unfair selection process that had been calculatedly and deliberately stacked against me from the outset.”

He added: “Unfortunately, a small handful of local members chose to deselect me for narrow factional reasons that don’t help the overall party cause.”

“They may consider this a victory for their ‘cause’, but if Labour lose in Bitterne in May then it will be a hollow one.”

Councillor Jordan added he would continue to serve as a Labour councillor and Cabinet Member for Children and Families until May.

Mr Frampton will now lead the challenge to retain the Bitterne seat for Labour.

He will face a challenge from Conservatives, who removed Labour's then-council leader Simon Letts, from his Bitterne seat at last May’s elections.

Mr Frampton said: “I am very honoured and proud to have won the trust of the members here in Bitterne.”

“With many years of experience as a Labour Party member and working as a full-time trade union officer for Unite the Union, I know I have the skills and energy to represent the residents of this area on Southampton City Council.

“Bitterne Ward is an area that should always be represented by Labour Councillors.

“But after the Labour Party lost the seat last year we need to radically re-think how we represent and campaign here.

“Every voter matters and no resident will be left behind.”

Mr Frampton, who says he was born in the Bitterne ward and still lives there with his family and children, has promised to oppose council cuts if selected.

Labour South East did not respond to the Echo's request for a comment.