A stalwart Labour supporter is campaigning for people to join him in spoiling their ballot papers at the next general election in protest at Deal and Dover’s adoption of an all-women shortlist (AWS).
Dover’s Keith Sansum, a former Labour county, district and town councillor, is fiercely opposed to the policy which prevents men from standing as prospective parliamentary candidates (PPCs).
In a letter to this week's East Kent Mercury and Dover Mercury, Mr Sansum has accused the party of discrimination, prompted by the national Labour Party decision that only women Labour candidates would be allowed to stand for the constituency seat.
Dover-born Clair Hawkins, brought up in Deal, was selected by the party in May to fight Conservative Charlie Elphicke, who took the seat from Labour at the last general election. Mr Sansum pointed out he had been involved in politics for 25 years and was opposed to all forms of discrimination.
He said: “I sent a letter to both the national and local Labour parties opposing the women-only shortlists and pointing out this would probably see the Conservatives hold the seat."
He said he would be campaigning to get people who support his view to spoil their ballot papers.
Miss Hawkins, who hopes to become Dover and Deal's first woman MP and is the daughter of Deal Labour councillors Pam and Bryn Hawkins, said: “People are entitled to their own views on all-women shortlists.
“I am proud to be selected ... and would have stood for the selection regardless of whether it was open or an all-women shortlist.
“There are many more important things to vote on if we look at what this Tory government is doing at this moment.”
See this week's Mercury for the full story.