MARK Jenkinson MP has accused Labour of "giving up" on West Cumbria altogether.
His comments come after another non-local candidate has been chosen to stand for the new Whitehaven and Workington seat despite strong resistance from grassroots members.
Mark said: “The national Labour Party is so desperate to clear the way for Keir Starmer’s man that they have ridden roughshod over their own rank and file members.
“This is part of a downward trend that has seen them abandon West Cumbria over many years.
“Firstly, they moved their office to Whitehaven, deserting their base in Workington.
“Then they parachuted in an offcomer after failing to shortlist a single candidate from Workington.
“This is a measure of how little faith the national party has in local people to make their own decisions about their future. The Party has shown contempt for their own members and for the people of West Cumbria as a whole.
“The national Labour Party has robbed West Cumbria of any meaningful choice, imposing their own candidate.
“If the national party won’t listen to their rank-and-file members, they categorically won’t listen to the voters.
“They told Workington party members to ‘be quiet’ about not having a say in the potential future of our town, threatening them with expulsion.
“They have no interest in Workington or aspiration for the wider West Cumbria - just jobs for the boys and in presiding over the managed decline of our towns and villages that saw them kicked out of West Cumbrian councils and parliamentary seats between 2017 and 2019.
“Labour continues to desert Workington. Indeed, they won’t even collect our bins while giving us one of the highest council tax increases in England.
“Just two days after Sir Keir selected his man in West Cumbria, he released his Green Prosperity Plan. Despite plans to borrow an additional £28bn/yr on the backs of hardworking taxpayers, their ‘plan’ fails to mention new nuclear in the anywhere in the North West, never mind Cumbria, and completely neglects the huge opportunities along West Cumbria's Energy Coast.
The North West has the largest nuclear workforce in the country, with West Cumbria accounting for 75 per cent of this. They’ve given up on West Cumbria at all levels.”
