Birmingham Erdington MP Paulette Hamilton has denied ‘nepotism’ conspiracy claim after councillors deselected
Erdington MP Paulette Hamilton(Image: Getty Images)
Birmingham Erdington MP Paulette Hamilton has denied nepotism claims after four local councillors were ‘deselected’ by the Labour Party in favour of candidates with links to her.
The quartet, including Hamilton’s daughter, a case worker and a case worker’s relative, are among 81 candidates chosen to stand for the party at the May 2026 city council elections. The party says it will announce the other 20 shortly.
The Labour Party say the choices were all made after a ‘rigorous’ selection process, with the selected candidates reflecting the party’s mission to present a talented, ambitious and diverse group to electors next year.
But disgruntled members who have been ousted say there has been a lack of transparency and questionable decisions, with loyal party members cast aside.
Read the full story and the full list of Labour’s 2026 city election candidates on the Inside Birmingham with Jane Haynes blog, free to access, here.
Two have now quit the party as a result with more resignations expected.
It means that out of the 65 Labour councillors who were in place at the start of this year, one, Kerry Jenkins, Moseley, has sadly died, four have become Independents, and another 24 don’t intend to seek re-election or were deselected.
The selections were made by a panel chosen by the National Executive Committee, whose senior members include Birmingham Ladywood MP Shabana Mahmood, who is also Justice Secretary. There was no engagement with local members, who normally select their own candidates through local branches.
Martin Brooks, who represents Harborne and is now an Independent, said the selections process that took place this year was further proof for him that the Labour Party was ‘no longer a democracy’, but a ‘cabal’ relying on ‘nepotism and cronyism’.
The city’s branch party members have no say, and regional chiefs and the national executive make the critical decisions, he said.
Another ousted councillor told BirminghamLive: “The local leaders aren’t in charge of anything. They are just yes people now. The orders all come from on high, from London.
“Councillors are not allowed to speak out, and anyone who dares to criticise anything is essentially putting a noose round their neck. It’s a terrible way to treat elected representatives.”
READ MORE: Massive Labour shocks at Birmingham City Council as veteran councillors axed by party
Veteran councillor Barbara Dring, now 90, is among those who have been affected. She was deselected from her seat in Oscott, after 21 years unbroken service. She has already quit the party in disgust and told electors she is now an Independent.
She described her selection interview process as ‘a stitch up’. She says she was challenged for ‘liking’ tweets by her friend Brooks, who quit the party over cuts to libraries and adult day care centres in the city.
“He spoke up about the closures and I agreed with him. That was used against me,” she said. “The way I’ve been treated has been abominable.
“Because I would not speak badly about certain people, it’s been held against me. Yet I have always obeyed the whip, I have always worked hard for the Labour Party.
“The local members used to be part of the process of selection, they knew the local issues and who was right for their community, but there is none of that now. Everybody is hand picked, and if your face doesn’t fit you are out.”
She says she has had ‘no support’ from the party since her deselection was announced, and she has ‘learned who my friends are’, she said.
Also among those also ousted are Jane Jones and Amar Khan, both representing Stockland Green, Fred Grindrod, representing Bournville and Cotteridge, Basharat Mahmood, representing Pype Hayes, and Rinkal Shergill, representing Holyhead.
The alternative candidates chosen include the Erdington MP’s daughter Keshia Hamilton (Holyhead), one of her case workers, Fayaz Khuhro, who is replacing Mahmood in Pype Hayes, and her communications officer’s sister in law Shabrana Hussain, who is standing in Stockland Green after previously representing Sparkbrook and Balsall Heath East.
The MP is also said to be close friends with Derek Douglas, selected for the second seat in Stockland Green, who additionally has links to other senior members of the Birmingham Labour team through community initiatives and involvement in education and training projects in Handsworth and citywide. Douglas and Hussain replace Jones and Khan.
The MP’s team insisted Hamilton had no say in the selections. In a brief statement, issued through West Midlands Labour, she said: “While I’m naturally disappointed that some councillors were unsuccessful in the NEC selection process, I thank them for their service.
“Now, with our candidates confirmed, I’ll be working closely with them to ensure residents remember the devastation caused by 14 years of Conservative government, catastrophic cuts that have crippled councils across the country.”
Read the full story and the full list of Labour’s 2026 city election candidates on the Inside Birmingham with Jane Haynes blog, free to access, here.
The party said the selection process was coordinated by the National Executive Committee and MPs were not involved. “All candidates selected to stand for Labour in May 2026 have gone through a rigorous selection process, led by members of Labour’s National Executive Committee.
“The Labour Party has selected a diverse and talented group of candidates…this Labour team is ambitious for Birmingham’s future and are already out in their communities listening to local people.”
Connections between local MPs, their officers and local councillors are not unusual. Working for an MP or volunteering to support their campaigns is seen as a standard route into politics.
Marcus Bernasconi, representing North Edgbaston, runs affairs at the local office of Ladywood MP Shabana Mahmood; and Jamie Tennant, representing Weoley and Selly Oak, works for Tamworth MP Sarah Edwards. Among the new candidates are John O’Shea, who lost out at the 2022 election and will be standing again in Acocks Green – he runs the office of Yardley MP Jess Phillips; and Shuranjeet Singh Takhar, standing in Soho and Jewellery Quarter, who works for West Bromwich MP Sarah Coombes. Sarina Younas, selected to stand in North Edgbaston, used to work for Shabana Mahmood and has been living in America for the past 18 months, supporting representatives in Congress.
The power to select their own candidates was taken away from local members through ward branches in 2023 after an internal Labour party report highlighted multiple issues inside Birmingham Labour, including claims of bullying and toxicity, division and poor governance.
Despite since putting in a new leadership team and providing additional oversight, the national executive has so far refused to return power to its local members.
Since announcing its candidate list, Councillor Lee Marsham has decided he does not wish to seek re-election. He represents Nechells.