Call to dump 'obsessive' Labour MP hopeful who questioned Jo Cox murder
3 min read
A newly-selected Labour candidate who questioned Jo Cox's killing and was placed under a restraining order by the High Court should be dumped, a former MP for the party has said
Mike Foster, who was Labour MP for Worcester from 1997 until 2010, said Mandy Richards should be "sacked immediately" as the prospective parliamentary candidate for the Tory-held seat.
Ms Richards said the murder of Ms Cox in 2016 was “conveniently bereft of evidence” and also questioned whether last year’s Manchester Arena terror attack took place.
She has been banned from bringing court actions without the permission of a judge after she spent an estimated £500,000 in taxpayers' cash on false claims.
Ms Richards alleged that MI5, MI6, the Metropolitan Police, the Army, Thames Water, the Royal Mail, Hackney Council, her GP and others were harassing her.
In a series of tweets complaining about her selection as a Labour candidate, former minister Mr Foster said: “We cannot gift the Tories the seat like this.”
Ms Richards has been placed under 14 civil restraint orders by the High Court after her string of claims were dismissed without merit.
Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott branded her an “obsessive” when she was forced to give evidence in an attempt she made to challenge the result of London assembly elections last year.
She stood in the election but alleged the returning officer and centrist group Progress had cheated her out of winning.
Election Commissioner John Bowers QC slammed Ms Richards for failing to turn up to court on time and accused her of pursuing unfounded conspiracies.
PoliticsHome understands that despite being selected locally, Ms Richards will still have to be endorsed by the Labour National Executive Committee next month.
It is likely she will not get the endorsement as she failed to disclose the information that could embarrass the party or bring it into disrepute when she applied for the candidacy.
The Worcester constituency is currently held by Tory Robin Walker, who won a majority of almost 2,500 at the snap general election last year.
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