Labour faces appeal over commissioner

The former chairman of Humberside Police Authority – the body the commissioner will replace – was rejected by the national executive committee, while other candidates, including Lord Prescott, are being considered further.

In an email, secretary of the Hull East Constituency Labour Party Sean Chaytor said the general consensus was that the “error” had been made worse by the fact Coun Inglis was the “only openly gay” candidate.

It added: “Some have said they support Mr Inglis for the post, some do not support him for the post and some (are) actively campaigning for other candidates but all believe it was a major error to not long list him.”

The email ends with an appeal that Colin Inglis “is the only candidate who could be argued to represent a minority group within the five candidates” and suggests it could “harm our chances if we are seen to be acting against our own stance of equal opportunities for all.”

Yesterday Coun Chaytor said: “Realistically I think they have made their decision, but at the end of the day a lot of people feel Colin should have been given the chance. When we had the election for leadership it was four men and one woman – what is the difference between the party leadership and the police commissioner?”