Labour Edmonton select ‘All BME’ Female Shortlist
In one of the most fiercely contested seats for Labour party candidates, the party has selected a final shortlist of three women all Black and Minority Ethnic. They are: Ayfer Orhan, Kate Anolue and Kate Osamor .
In recent weeks the party have come under some fierce criticism for not selecting African and Caribbean candidates in their winnable seats. This selection will go some way to demonstrate the party care about the African and Caribbean vote, but in the few weeks left much more will need to be done. Ayfer Orhan is of Turkish decent, another minority group who have little representation in UK politics.
The other problem the party face is the fact that whilst this is good news for the three women selected, BME men, in particularly African and Caribbean seem to be getting shut out of the equation. Long time Labour activist Kingsly Abrahms resigned from the party because he wasn’t shortlisted in Edmonton.
The final decision to select Labour’s candidate will be made on February 21.
Orhan and Anolue are both Labour councillors in Enfield, while Anolue is a former mayor.
Osamor, seen as a frontrunner, is a GP practice manager in Edmonton and a well-known union activist.
She is also the daughter of Martha Osamor, a former Haringey councillor and community leader on the Broadwater Farm estate in Tottenham.
Good luck to all three.
Picture: Kate Anolue, Kate Osamor and Ayfer Orhan (left to right)
