Labour MP Clive Lewis says deselection of MPs is a 'democratic process'
The Shadow Defence Secretary says there is a 'legitimate argument' for deselecting MPs who do not reflect party membership
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Your support makes all the difference.Shadow Defence Secretary Clive Lewis has said the deselection of MPs is a "democratic" process.
Mr Lewis, an ally of Jeremy Corbyn, said there was a "legitimate argument" for deselecting MPs who did not reflect the Labour membership.
Speaking on The Andrew Marr Show, the Labour MP said: "I think we’ve had a very robust debate in the party this year. Deselection hasn’t come up, as I understand, as an issue.
"If it does, as far as I’m concerned that’s a democratic choice for our members.
"You call it deselection – the other word for it is actually democratic election for your representatives in Parliament and I think there’s a legitimate argument for that."
Mr Lewis's comments come amid reports that Mr Corbyn’s supporters could be trying to get a slate of more left-wing candidates in place for the next general election.
Deselection is the process by which Labour members in a local area change their party’s candidate at the general election when the party already has a sitting MP there.
In December 2015 anti-war activists called for the deselection of 66 Labour MPs who voted to allow air strikes against Isis in Syria after after Mr Corbyn was forced to allow his party a free vote when 11 members of his Shadow Cabinet threatened to rebel over his anti-war stance.
A poll in June 2016 suggested that a majority of Labour’s new members would support the deselection of MPs who persistently criticise their party’s leadership.
Speaking about the recent splits in the Labour Party, Mr Lewis also supported the idea that shadow cabinet elections should be split between MPs and party members.
He said: "I think the idea that's come out that the PLP potentially could elect a certain percentage of the shadow cabinet, the leader another percentage and the membership another percentage is a genuine idea and something that should be discussed and reviewed."
Mr Lewis added that the current divisions within the Labour Party are "healthy", saying: "If you think where politics were in our party just last year, it was a small technocratic, managerial approach to politics, which people quite frankly were tired of.
"We now have Open Labour, we now have Progress, Momentum, the Tribune group. I actually think it's really healthy that we have these groups who are debating and coming up with ideas."
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